PASSAIC PUBLIC LIBRARY
PASSAIC PUBLIC LIBRARY IN THE NEWS
Reid is fundamental
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CITY officials in Passaic have little use for Reid Memorial Library. More outrageous, Passaic library officials have little use for Reid Memorial Library. And if both groups are successful, city residents will have no use of Reid Memorial Library. It will close.
| A partial accounting showa that from June, 2001 to April, 2006 the Library spent $87,852.18 in repairs at the Reid Branch from it's operating budget. Moreover, in 2005 and 2006 the Library sought CDBG grants of $211,000.00 for amajor rehabitation of the Reid Branch. |
For years, the city has flat-funded or cut funding to the library. There was a scuttled plan to privatize it. There has been no aggressive plan from the city or the library board to not just save a valued public institution, but to improve and grow it. Instead, library officials want to close Reid, citing structural damage.In the latest plot twist, the architect hired to inspect the building in 2005 says he found no structural damage and never quoted a price for repairs. Library officials cannot give an explanation for the $155,000 estimate it claims is needed to repair the building.
After further investigation by LAN Associates, it has been determined that the building's foundation is damaged and that all of the electrical and water supplies that come into the building have to be removed and reinstalled after the completion of the repair of the foundation. The entire rubber roof of the Reid Memorial Branch needs to be replaced, as it has been determined to be the cause of the above-mentioned damage to the foundation, taken from 2006 CDBG application, confirmed in letter from LAN, 03/27/007. LAN confirms that the Reid Memorial Branch Library (RMBL) roof needs to be replaced and that LAN Associates provided library staff with an order of magnitude roof replacement cost estimate of $30.00 per square foot taken from letter from LAN 03/27/2007. |
If Reid is indeed beyond repair, Passaic officials should be talking about constructing a new library with adequate parking. That is unlikely. Despite a large immigrant population, the city leaders have turned away from a core responsibility to ensure that a vibrant, public library system is accessible to Passaic residents. Moving the library's children's collection into a billiard room in the Passaic Boys & Girls Club is unacceptable.
Children only library service in the downtown area was first presented as desirable in 1999 by then the President of the Board of Trustees. Library officials had better find documentation to back up the $155,000 estimate for repairs -- and fast. After that, they'd better do a more convincing job of explaining why Reid should be closed. The historic century-old library building is physical proof that the immigrant population of Passaic has long valued reading and education.
The estimate was verbal not written. "LAN Associates (LAN) confirms that the data in the 2006 CDBG application came from a verbal consultation between LAN's staff and the Library staff regarding the condition of Reid Memorial Branch Library (RMBL) roof." Taken from letter from LAN 03/27/2007.
In the last 15 years Library Boards have discussed closing the Reid Branch at least 3 times; in 1993, 1995 and again in 1999, "The Board's attitude toward Reid Library has been "shall we close it, shall we keep it open, shall we close it, shall we keep it open, , let's.....do this. let's...do that". So that basically for quite some number of years based on whether the trustees felt that the branch (unclear) funded...there was a different attitude every year." Quotation from Library Director June, 1999.
It is clear that city and library officials have no desire to continue that tradition. A library board that does not support libraries is useless. It is not Reid Memorial Library that is structurally damaged beyond repair, it is the library board.