Pierce County Library (PCL): Thank you for your article explaining the library ballot issue from your professional and knowledgeable viewpoint.
I have used and supported libraries for 69 years. When I was old enough to vote and pay taxes, I always, always, voted YES for library issues 100% of the time. I never voted NO when the library was on the ballot. Typically a YES vote involved a small amount of money to support a significant positive cause in our community.
Having a library in our city is a non-discriminatory community asset for kids, students, adults, and retired citizens of all races, colors, religious preferences, and sexual orientation. I support that.
There is now a phenomenon that is motivating me to consider voting NO on the library issue for the first time in 69 years. What has changed?
Historically, when I supported our library, I could use and enjoy our library. We could drop our daughter off to use the library because it was a clean and safe place for her to spend time with her educational and entertainment pursuits.
I could experience the joy of using the library myself.
Pierce County Library (PCL) has destroyed my ability to enjoy our community library based on several PCL actions.
1. While the library uses the clever public relations excuse that they want to save water by not watering the lawn and plantings, they do not acknowledge that fact that the Lakewood Library now appears like a property found in a slum.
It appears that once the lawn dies out and turns brown, lawn mowing stops. As a former professional property manager, I know you have to mow a dead lawn a minimum of every ten days to at least keep the appearance looking like it is maintained and manicured. Even a dead lawn shoots up tall, spindly grasses or weeds that reach for the sky. Our library often has a ticky tacky look.
Add to that all the trash, litter, and shopping carts in the parking lot area and what we have is slum conditions.
So PCL gets a grade letter F for the appearance of the Lakewood Library. They fail to make the Lakewood Library an inviting and comfortable place to spend time.
2. I am 100% n favor of allowing everyone, including the homeless in our community to have access to our library. I am not in favor of converting our library into a homeless camp.
The homeless, when allowed to live at the library during the day, create many problems that discourage a historically willing tax paying and library supporter from visiting and using the library.
Here is a list of problems I have personally experienced or have had friends and library neighbors complain about:
- Sometimes the homeless camp environment creates a stinky odor inside the library that is repulsive. At times it could make you gag.
- Public urination and defecation in the neighborhood surrounding the library.
- Stolen property in the form of shopping carts being brought to the library every day. PCL serves as an enabler by allowing the homeless to possess and store stolen property (shopping carts) on library property.
- Stolen shopping carts are stored on the sidewalk across the street from the library making it risky to use street parking before entering the library. There are two risks. (1) A stolen shopping cart might easily roll off the sidewalk striking and damaging a car parked on the street by a library patron. (2) Homeless people sleep on the sidewalk next to their stolen property and next to library patron’s parked vehicles. Some homeless are car prowlers. Some homeless can attack library patrons with aggressive panhandling or worse.
- While library rules may prohibit smoking and vaping, people know PCL is not effective in enforcing their own rules so smoking and vaping are frequently observed on the library grounds.
- Public view drug activity.
If a homeless person wishes to visit our library or better yet, even apply for a library card to use the library, I am all for that. Hopefully, they can read, study, research, and possibly escape their homeless condition because of what they learn.
If the homeless person wishes to convert our library into a homeless camp and PCL allows that to happen, PCL should not be surprised if the public begins to stop supporting our hometown library.
There is a difference between visiting the library to use library services when compared to simply loitering while not using library services other than chairs for sleeping and the restrooms.
If PCL lacks the backbone to enforce rules and laws to make our Lakewood Library a neat, clean, comfortable, and safe place to patronize, then perhaps they should change their mission from a library to homeless camp.
So PCL has forced at least one taxpayer, me, into the position of knowing if I support the library with my taxes, I will be promoting something I will not be comfortable using. I can’t allow my grandchildren to use the library unless I keep them in my immediate sight and make sure to carry a defensive weapon. No benefit No taxes may become the hue and cry of citizens if the library continues to deteriorate.
It may only be a matter of time before the Lakewood Library will be forced to shoulder some responsibility as an enabler when an adult or child patron of the library gets victimized in some unspeakable manner at the Lakewood Library Homeless Camp.
Having said what I had on my mind, I am going to vote YES for our library one more time, but do not count on my vote in the future. I will be watching the library to see if PCL develops intelligent solutions to the problems outlined above or if PCL elects to do nothing to return our library to its formerly clean, safe, and attractive condition. At one time our community had pride in our library.
Decades ago, the Tenzler family, made a massive donation to the Lakewood community by providing gifted funds to make possible the purchase of the land, the construction of the library building, some library operations, and future improvements for what was originally called the Flora B. Tenzler library, The Tenzler family donated money for a library, not a homeless camp.
PCL, be honest with the taxpayers. Do you want us to support a library or a homeless camp?
I voted no for the reasons you correctly cited.
Marty,
Thanks for your response. I hope the library begins to understand how their current policies and management may cause them to lose community support. It is my hope they will learn and take appropriate action to save the library so they can recapture our support.
Joseph Boyle
Agree 100%. I have had further personal reduction. Organizations, especially non-profits, were the able to use the library meeting rooms for meetings and activities outside of the normal operating hours. For the very reasons you state, they have reduced availability to just normal operating hours. Nights and weekends are an important time for volunteer meetings.
Mr. Paul Nimmo,
Thanks for your response. When the library cut off the non-profits’ access to meeting rooms, which I too enjoyed in the past, the library reduced their value as a community asset thereby causing some to decide to no longer support the library.
What is next? Will the library stop loaning books to make more room for the homeless?
Joseph Boyle
I voted no for the first time this year. When the library’s lack of attentiveness chases away other long time businesses like RMI next door, I can no longer support them.
Mr. Ray R,
Thanks for your response. Based on what I know, (RMI) Reeder Management, Inc, who had been an excellent neighbor on the corner of Gravelly Lake Drive SW and Wildaire SW for decades, was forced to close their business in Lakewood and move not because of “a lack of attentiveness”, but rather based on the library’s and the City of Lakewood’s refusal to do anything to solve the homeless problems. The library and the City of Lakewood are both complicit in the problems especially when we look at the stolen property activity the library and city are aware of, but do nothing to eliminate.
Joseph Boyle
I agree the situation at Tenzler has become a mess and hazardous. It’s time for the CITY to step up and do something about the situation. Patrons safety should be a priority. Library funding is not adequate for guards and dealing with the homeless and addicts. It would have to be a real emergency for me to even think about using the restroom. I pick my time to go to the library wisely just as the doors open and there are folks in line and the parking lot is filling up and active. I touch nothing I don’t have to and am careful of where I step outside.
Many years ago it was a comfortable safe environment and one of my sons spent many an afternoon after school there when he was in elementary and Jr High. Wouldn’t do that now.
IIRC, my property taxes would increase by $375 per year, so I voted NO!
I have also voted no.
Ms. Eliason, Why did you vote no? Taxes or homeless or ???
Thanks for reading and commenting. The Suburban Times does serve as a public bulletin board for the exchange of ideas and opinions. Everyone’s ideas and opinions are appreciated even if their is disagreement between readers or readers and the author.
Joseph Boyle
Hope your Library folks stand up and make some changes. Crazy times. Dana
Dana Anderson,
Thanks for reading and responding from all the way out there 2300 miles away.
Joseph Boyle
Joe,
Although the situation at the Lakewood branch needs attention, by voting “No” you penalize all the other branches in the Pierce county system. Wouldn’t the solution be for the city of Lakewood and the Lakewood branch to focus on the problem? Shouldn’t your remarks be also aimed at the Lakewood City Council and the Lakewood Police Dept?
Good thoughts, Mr. Hoff.
Thanks for sharing.
Joseph Boyle
I voted yes for the library because I think everyone needs access to books…especially children. The homeless problem has been evident at the library for quite a while. There are many other areas in the city where it is evident as well. Look behind Robi’s Camera Shop at the little community they’ve set up there.
Cleaning up the homeless problem is NOT the responsibility of the Library. City governments have allowed this to become a national crisis. Look at the mess Seattle is in. Nothing seems to be working. These people should not be allowed to destroy our community and our peace of mind. But until we enact some laws that will give our police force the authority to do something, nothing will change. It’s not going to be an easy solution. It will require a coordination of efforts…law enforcement, mental and physical help, housing and whoever else is needed. The money that we spend now on continually cleaning up after these people would be much better spent getting them the help they need. As I said, it’s not going to be easy, but the longer we wait to do something, the worse it will get!
Pat Excellent observation and concise and precise evaluation and solutions. Time to get this problem resolved whatever it takes. I too voted YES Of all the issues on the ballot this one deserve a yes vote.
A few weeks ago I had to go to a library to attend a meeting. There were tents, trash and other items surrounding the facility. I was afraid to leave my car. A group dealing blocked the walkway to enter the building. In the restrooms, they come in shoot up and deposit the needles in the handy dispensers located in each stall. They use the facilities as a shower room to clean up. Recently it was in the news that WA libraries will be issuing Narcan to opioid users. Because libraries have become safe zones for drug users, my household has voted NO also.
Folks–this is a very good topic for all of us to ponder. Thank you, Joe, for the article.
For starters, my family is supporting the library ballot proposition. Why? Although we are not large users of the Lakewood Library, we recognize our Library as a critical community asset that benefits many in our community–at all income levels. Vibrant cities have solid public facilities, including libraries.
If the Pierce County Library District does not received this critical “vote of confidence” and increased operational funding, it is unlikely that Lakewood will be able to envision a new capital facility (new Lakewood Library) down the road. While any new facility would require a future public vote (and debate) for capital (bond) funding, that opportunity would gain little traction if this levy lid lift fails. Again, while my family is not a big user of the Library, I very much see the value for our community and am willing to pay my fair share.
Does the homeless situation at the Lakewood Library warrant more attention? Absolutely. In fact, when the Library’s leadership came to the Lakewood City Council to discuss this pending ballot proposition, the Council was quite clear, in its public comments, that this issue needed much more attention.
While the homeless issue exists and does merit much more attention (at many levels, and not just from the Library’s leadership), I can tell you that the City of Lakewood has been and continues to be involved in this issue:
As many of us recognize, homelessness (along with now the opioid crisis), coupled with lack of state and federal funding for mental health going back several decades now, has been creating challenges for communities for quite some time. The lack of quality, affordable housing is also part of the issue. However, the following is a brief synopsis of what the City of Lakewood does in support of homelessness:
1% of City’s General Fund finances totaling $365,000 annually is allocated in support of human and social services annually;
Behavioral Health Contact Team: In February 2015, the City, in partnership with Greater Lakes Mental Health, hired a mental health professional (MHP) who is embedded with our patrol officers to serve as a resource for those who are homeless and/or suffering from addiction issues or mental illness. Since then, the City has assigned a full-time a police officer in support of the MHP so that we now have two FTEs in support of this program. In 2016 alone, they helped 594 people find needed services followed by another 629 in 2017. These are individuals who did not have to go to jail and/or hospital only to end up back in the same or similar dire straits. Other cities have contacted us to learn how they too may be able to establish a similar type program for their communities;
We partner with multiple organizations within our City to address homelessness and mental health including Living Access Support Alliance (LASA), Habitat for Humanity, Western State Hospital, Catholic Community Services, Greater Lakes Mental Health, St Clare Hospital, and Tacoma Methadone Clinic. For example, the City contributed almost $1.0 million to LASA in support of their new facility located on Gravelly Lake Drive that opened in July 2015. We continue to partner with Habitat for Humanity, which includes financial support to construct new homes. To date, 24 homes have been constructed in the Tillicum neighborhood with another 29 scheduled to be constructed;
We are part of a consortium (Continuum of Care) with Pierce County and the City of Tacoma to qualify for Federal and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars that in turn are invested into programs to address homelessness. In addition to this Federal funding, the City works with Pierce County to allocate State 2160 and 2163 funds, which support affordable housing and homelessness programs, which is but one example of collaboration with Pierce County. State funds are also distributed by an oversight committee comprised of members from the City of Tacoma, City of Lakewood, Pierce County and other city and town representatives. Current rules require that 50% of the money be issued directly to the County; the remaining 50% goes to urban areas, with the majority being distributed each year to the City of Tacoma;
We also provide low income and transitional housing for Pierce County sponsored programs. It is estimated that low income housing accounts for over 65% of homes within the City of Lakewood. As such, Lakewood is a more cost-effective location for Pierce County to place individuals who participate in rental assistance programs. Lakewood is also home to other low income options including: 28 mobile home parks (comprising 1,180 mobile homes) and 388 apartment complexes, the majority of which serve low income residents. The following is a summary of low income and transitional housing in Lakewood, which totals 1,318 units or 10% of our community’s total housing stock;
– Pierce County Housing Authority, 5 complexes with 285 units
– Pierce County Housing Authority Vouchers, 551 vouchers
– Housing Tax Credits, 4 complexes with 388 units
– HUD Contract Housing Apartment, 25 units
– Network Tacoma Venture II Apartment, 15 units
– Metropolitan Development Council, 4 units
– Pierce County Affordable Housing Association, 20 unit apartment complex
– Habitat for Humanity, 24 units
– LASA housing, 6 units
The City of Lakewood has been partnering with Pierce County on a program modeled after the City of Albuquerque’s called Homeless Empowerment Labor Program or HELP that would provide temporary employment opportunities for individuals to include access to social and human services. It is expected to be operational later this year or early next.
The City is also working with the Cohen Veterans Network who will be opening a clinic in Lakewood to serve the South Puget Sound region. This clinic, which will be located at 6103 Mt Tacoma Drive is scheduled to open later this winter. The Cohen Veterans Network is a private foundation established to provide veterans and their family members with free accessible mental health care in select cities across the country. Through Steven A. Cohen’s generous philanthropic support, they are looking to add eight additional cities this year and next, to the current network of clinics in operation. https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/
In summary, the City of Lakewood is very involved in addressing the issue of homelessness in our region. Are we perfect? Far from it, but progress is being made.
While the post focused on the pending ballot proposition for the Pierce County Library District, which I personally support, I wanted to also provide some helpful information on the homeless issue which many understandably see as a “problem” at the current Lakewood Library. It is a challenge, but one that we, collectively, can address positively if we all engage in solutions. Gutting the library district from much needed operational funding, which could impact Lakewood’s own future library, is not a step in the right direction (in my humble opinion).
Jason Whalen
Deputy Mayor, City of Lakewood
Deputy Mayor Jason Whalen,
I realize that all City of Lakewood Council members are extremely busy. Serving as our Deputy Mayor must make you all the more busy.
I wish to thank you for the time and effort you expended in writing a response to share your knowledge, thoughts, and opinions regarding our library and the homeless issue.
For a multitude of reasons, most citizens are not able to attend Lakewood City Council meetings. Hearing from members of our Lakewood City Council helps to make us more informed citizens.
Thank you sir.
Joseph Boyle – Resident of Lakewood Since 1969
I go to the Lakewood Library a lot to pick up movies and books and have noticed a few homeless and groups of kids hanging around. They haven’t bothered me or anybody I see walking to and from the establishment. If I did, I’m the person who would put a stop to it immediately. I’m not seeing any harrasment of any kind as they keep to their selves. No drugs as I don’t smell any pot and never have but maybe since I’m not there all the time, I don’t see or smell these things.
I voted yes because I’ve used libraries all my life and wish other people would continue to use them too.
Homelessness in Lakewood is not the fault of the Lakewood Library. The City of Lakewood needs to deal more effectively with the crisis. It is a shame that the situation at the library would cause citizens to vote “no” for a much needed levy.
How sad that some library visitors are bothering others. We can’t expect the Library System, probably the smallest unit of our civic system, to take it on. The homeless problem needs to be addressed by the entire county, indeed, by the state and nation.
If we don’t want people living in doorways and alleys and in cars, we need to be willing to support efforts to change things. Are you willing to spend the money?
Even in a small library and town the size of Steilacoom, I see people wandering around the library neighborhood who don’t live here. I also sometimes see people who walk there from Western State, who bother no one, who sit quetly on the benches near the library door on a sunny day.
As for civic groups using the libraries outside of regular hours, as used to be the case, supporting the levy and giving the libraries a reasonable budget will make that more likely. What will that levy mean to the average homeowner? About the same you would pay for half a dozen new books a year.
Voting against the library levy is no way to solve the problem. Libraries should not have to shoulder the burden of dealing with homeless.
I am a frequent visitor to the Lakewood Library 2 -3 times a week.
My comment, not only on the area around the library but all cities and counties everywhere.
When I was growing up…there was a law about vagrancy – and arrests were made.
When I was growing up … theft was a crime, and punishable by incarceration…is the stealing of shopping carts no longer considered theft?
I will not ‘sit’ in the library. I will not use the restrooms.
Need I say more?
Joe, Thanks for recognizing the elephant in the room that most of the others can’t or don’t want to see. I also voted yes for libraries – this time. I no longer go to the library because of the people hanging out there. If they are there trying to educate themselves or do research on jobs, great. If they are just hanging out, I say bounce ’em. I, too will be watching what happens between now and the next election.
Just to be as brief as possible; I disagree with much of the original article, as do many others in the comments. I voted YES to fund the library system. This vote is about funding the WHOLE library system, not about the homeless population explosion. The homeless issue is one that WE as citizens must force the City Council’s and similar entities to address and resolve. I will add this personal experience with the Lakewood Library though, which left me feeling that they don’t even care about the homeless situation and it’s effects on patrons. Currently, the Section 8 Housing list is open for applications, which is a rare occurrence. I contacted one of the higher ups in person at the Lakewood library in regard to possibly setting something up to assist our homeless population in using the computers in the library to sign up for the list. I followed up with e-mails and Facebook messages to various personnel informing them of this opportunity to make a difference for the benefit of the city and it’s citizens. I received one single response that they would look in to it. To the best of my knowledge they did NOTHING. Subsequently, on one of my weekly visits to the Lakewood branch of the library, I went to the front desk and offered them a flyer I have been handing out to the local homeless which includes the instructions necessary to sign up for housing assistance on-line. The front desk personnel showed NO INTEREST at all in helping, and did not even acknowledge when asked, that they were aware of the opportunity. Yes, it’s the city’s responsibility to come up with a workable and effective plan to address the homeless issue, but ALL of us can help out in various ways. Until we all come together on issues such as this, virtually nothing is going to be accomplished in making Lakewood a safe and welcoming place to live and shop. I’ve only lived in the area for a few years and in that time I have seen drastic changes for the worse in the homeless situation, as well as the safety at the Towne Centre and other areas. So, let’s get to work. Let’s get involved. This is for Lakewood; OUR HOME.