Preserve Sierra Madre: Library Building Forum Wed. Sept.13th at 6:00 pm

Mod: An interesting moment in Sierra Madre history has arrived. The notion of preserving this town has always taken two paths. One path was for those who wanted to keep the town the small and quaint residential community it has always been. The other wanted to save such deeply traditional American community services such as the Library. Yet aren't these both really the same thing? I think so. Now, because the vintage local pols who had always led the movement to "Save the Library" have suddenly become strong advocates for its destruction, there is a distinct political shift taking place. And tonight's community forum could be where the consequences of their betrayal become evident. This from Preserve Sierra Madre:

Preserve Sierra Madre has been receiving an increasing number of emails expressing a growing concern from our coalition members regarding the possibility of selling our much-loved Public Library building and moving the Library to a new location on the east side of town near the recreation center.  The existing library building would most likely be demolished, sold to a developer and replaced with a large condominium project.

While no final decision has been made on the Library, there will be a public forum to discuss this option:

Wednesday, September 13th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Hart Park House - 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

We would encourage our coalition members to attend and ask a lot of questions.  We have a heard much concern about the proposed location for the new library particularly in regards to parking and noise.  We also want to know what has necessitated selling a city-owned asset to a developer after so many years in its current location?   What is the cost to build a new facility and why can't the existing building be upgraded to meet current needs?

Many of us use the library on a regular basis, many of us have donated to the library and many of us placed a "Love the Library" sign in our front yard.  Many of us also understood that one of the reasons we voted for the passage of the UUT tax was to save our library.  We are not sure that demolishing the building was quite what many of us had in mind when we made the decision to show our support for the Library.

Don't forget, "we" are Sierra Madre.  It is our Library and we should have a say about what happens to it.  We don't want to leave such an important decision to the five members of our City Council.  For that reason, we would encourage you to attend this forum and get answers to some important questions.  Preserve Sierra Madre has not taken an official position on this issue yet, but we do have our concerns. Preserve Sierra Madre does take the official position that "We Love Our Library".

Thank you for your support.

Steering Committee

Mod: See you there!

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