Pierce County Library System announcement.
PIERCE COUNTY, Washington – Thursday, Dec. 1, 4-5 p.m., the Pierce County Library System’s Board of Trusteeswill hold a special meeting to discuss the Lakewood Pierce County Libraries.
The study session will be held in person at the Library’s Administrative Center 3005 112th St E, Tacoma WA 98446. Optional virtual attendance is available via https://www.piercecountylibrary.org/about-us/board-trustees/board-agenda-packets/Default.htm.
On Nov. 17, the Lakewood Library Building Community Advisory Committee presented its recommendations for the downtown Lakewood Pierce County Library and the Tillicum Pierce County Library, which is in a neighborhood in Lakewood. For five months, the 12-member volunteer committee reviewed and analyzed information about the libraries from Library System administrators, city building officials, engineers, architects and other professionals.
In creating the recommendations, committee members reviewed volumes of information about the conditions of the buildings and cost scenarios for repairing and replacing the buildings. In addition, they reviewed input from the public, provided via surveys, public events, interviews with community leaders, and comments in emails and at meetings.
For the Lakewood Library, the community advisory committee’s recommendation is to keep the library at the same location, building a new library on the current site. If that is not possible, the committee recommends building a new library in an equally accessible location.
For the Tillicum Library, the committee recommended renovating the existing building or rebuilding on the existing site if the property can be acquired. If not, it recommends pursuing a location near the existing library, and if that is not financially or practically feasible, then the committee recommended building on a parcel currently owned by the City.
At the study session, the Board of Trustees will start its process to determine next steps.
For more information: https://www.piercecountylibrary.org/about-us/board-trustees/board-agenda-packets/Default.htm
Well, here we go, determining “next steps.” As ironies of public process ruled, the committee had little detail of analysis and less discussion than described. Read again:
“For five months, the 12-member volunteer committee reviewed and analyzed information about the libraries from Library System administrators, city building officials, engineers, architects and other professionals.” … “volumes of information about the conditions of the buildings and cost scenarios for repairing and replacing,” … “input from the public, provided via surveys, public events, interviews with community leaders, and comments in emails and at meetings.” WOW!
I certainly do not accuse PCLS of burning books. But if you smell a little smoke, you’re not alone. Consider:
Following a rough start, the CAC met five times over the summer, two hours per session via Zoom, effectively totaling ten hours. Separately, on 30 Sep, five CAC members toured the Tillicum Library and Community Services Center to better assess related interests and possibilities there (affording the one occasion when a CAC member could actually meet another related to task). This was the best CAC meeting of all, and five members showed up.
Admin stuff (introductions, announcements, orientations, objectives’ briefings and review) fully consumed seventy percent of the ten hours allotted. Several CAC members “showed up” prepared, most were thoughtful even committed, but Zoomed participation by all throughout was wandering, and serious opportunity for seriously detailed discussion was dilute if not virtually absent. At best those details were reduced to either/or choice labels roughly and barely shaped by CAC attention. At the end of it all, a question still turned about whether it might be feasible to install underground parking to restore Tenzler. That’s not a dumb question, as forgivingly there’s not one, but it reflects related ignorance of the subject, in the closing minutes of our final hour. There’s more to say, but the point is made.
BERK Consulting and PCLS have provided a valuable report. But it is important to emphasize that PCLS Trustees, Lakewood City Council and Lakewood community must now resolve to “reach inside self and outside the box” with courage to think anew of what truly is the challenging Library Opportunity at hand.
Continuing in a letter to all principals, emphasis was made regarding our Library Opportunity, directing PCLS and City attention to a tour of Great American Libraries, one in every state, culminating with the Public Library in Lawrence, Kansas, showing that extraordinary community effort can produce extraordinary result. Here it is, to see for yourself:
https://www.archdaily.com/784930/lawrence-public-library-gould-evans
LAWRENCE, KS – Award winning Public Library, 66,900 SF library/admin; flex space/auditorium, sound & vision studio & more; adjacent senior services; funding – parking garage for 325, library friends & foundation, city bond. Lawrence pop: 46,128 in1973; 96,392, 2022 projected. Comparable vision suggests at minimum, 45,000 SF of innovation for an amazing futures Lakewood library.
That letter went to the full PCLS and City of Lakewood panel of “next step” trustees of community, on Monday, with appeal to embrace this extraordinary opportunity before us with imagination and courage. It will require City of Lakewood to assume extraordinary leadership and PCLS to grant extraordinary cooperation. This opportunity will not come again. It’s time for community to respond. City of Lakewood and PCLS are custodians to the Tenzler Library’s Great Douglas Fir Page from History, and the future of Lakewood’s libraries. Addressed broadly to include Pierce County Parks and CPSD 400, the letter concluded thus:
“Let us carry forward together, with everything we appreciate about Tenzler, to create TWO new libraries for Lakewood. Let us be mindful of the opportunity and responsibility that we are now given to imagine tomorrow for generations to follow. And by this endeavor, let us recognize the value of knowledge, the importance of discovery, and the inspiration of purpose to be found through the portals of our libraries in the fullness of time at the heart of community.”
Respectfully,
Bob Warfield
Lakewood, Washington