Friends of library
seek out new site
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by
Jeffrey Lyles
Staff Writer
Mar. 25,
2004
After
another incident of the roof leaking, Friends of the Mount Rainier Library
members want the assistance of the City Council to help find a new location for
the library.
Friends of Library (FOL)
President Fred Sissine said that the building, located at 3409 Rhode Island
Ave., is falling apart and a recent leak could have destroyed the library's
books and collections.
On Feb. 10 during a heavy
rainstorm, the library's roof leaked, causing officials to close the library.
The roof was repaired on Feb. 21 at a cost of $3,000.
The city actually owns
the building and is in charge of all repairs and renovations as opposed to the
majority of county libraries that are maintained by the county.
"We're in a critical
situation now with the library," said resident Michelle Sust. "The
roof isn't leaking now, but with the spring here and potentially more rain, it
could be a problem. The kids in this area are so dependent on the library that
they can't afford for it to be closed for two or four days."
FOL board member Ivy
Thompson said she was very concerned when the library was closed.
"There's always the
possibility that if they shut it down for even the shortest period of time,
they may not reopen it, which is a great concern of mine," Thompson said.
FOL wrote the project
description for a $200,000 state legacy grant to be used for an expansion
library facility in the Artspace artist live-work development project in Mount
Rainier. The proposal was awarded $200,000 with the Gateway Communities
Development Corp. (CDC) serving as the grant manager.
In 2002, Artspace had to
redesign the building, resulting in the library being dropped from the plan due
to new size limits and lack of additional funding for the library, Sissine
said.
When it became apparent
that the library would not be able to move into the Artspace building, city
officials suggested that FOL do something with the building at the current
site.
Those plans were halted
when Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-Dist. 8) of Kensington moved next door to
the library in the vacated police station.
The CDC reprogrammed the
legacy grant toward another project as the delay in using the grant posed a
barrier to CDC's plans for future grants, Sissine said. The library has
$20,000, which may only be used for a new feasibility study.
"It wasn't clear if
the design required changes to the [Artspace] building or if the library would
just be a tenant," said CDC Executive Director Nick Francis. "The FOL
missed the construction deadline and their development contract wasn't
finalized until December."
FOL has acquired IRS
tax-exempt status, which would allow FOL to secure non-city funding sources for
a new building if a site were identified.
"We're stuck for a site,"
Sissine said. "We have to start all over, but we really need to see a
leadership signal from the city to get this project moving."
Councilwoman Malinda
Miles (Ward 2) said that she questioned what cost would a new library would
bring to the city.
"At this very
moment, I have not focused on the library," Miles said. "I'm focusing
on making the citizens feel more involved in what we're doing and ensuring that
our finances are not questionable."
Improvements to the
library are essential, but the council needs to see a plan for funding, said
Mayor Bryan Knedler.
"It's especially
important for the working-class children whose parents can't drive them to
Hyattsville," he said. "It's a place for kids to go after school to
keep them out of trouble and provides access to the Internet."
Knedler said the city
needs to look at whether it is cost-effective to continue patching up the
building rather than finding a new site. He said he was aware that the heating
of the building also needs to be improved.
"That site would be
the best site to rebuild on for a new library," Knedler said. "I
envision the bottom floor serving as the library and the upper floor serving as
office or living space to help pay for the building."
E-mail Jeffrey Lyles
at jlyles@gazette.net.