Library Expansion: We're Just Getting Started

I attended a library Community Engagement Meeting on Tuesday, July 11, and came away with the following observations:

First, I am invested in the idea that the library, as a part of the “commons” of the city, should be an exemplar of what our city offers its residents and prospective residents. A magnet attracting people of all ages and interests.

Along with other marque features of the city – its vibrant shopping/entertainment district, its too grand high school, and its elementary school system (ugh, maybe someday), our library needs be first class: fully functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Secondly, as to the meeting itself, I was able to get the information that I was seeking, however, it had to be teased out of a mini-scrum. I am tired of watching self-interested “super-citizens” hijack public forums. The audience should be limited to a period for comment and questions, but only after the planned message is delivered.

Once the presenter engages with these super-patriots, all but wrapped in a city flag, it becomes a series of personal dialogs, to the exclusion of the rest of us. I suppose that such fencing matches are unavoidable, however, if they must take place, it would be helpful to know who the questioners are and where they live in relation to the library site; the better to gauge what their bias might be.

Thank you and good luck.

Richard Hutner

2066 St. Johns Avenue