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CLOSING THE BOOK ON MAIN LIBRARY?

Started by districtweekly · 11 months ago

The mayor and the city manager explain why the city should—nay, must—close our largest temple of knowledge

PHOTO by RUSS ROCA
Thirty-two years ago, city officials were so bullish about the grim new Burton W. Chace Civic Center that they threw open the doors before it was f ... Continue reading »

12 comments

  • Kaiser Sosa

    11 months ago

    Get these people away from our public properties. Get them away from the city accounts. Get them out of office and preferably out of town. I've heard enough bullshit now. Stop these scummy thieves before we have nothing left.
    reply
  • Juan Pardell

    11 months ago

    Why not move the library to The Pike? There's still plenty of vacant space. Better yet, why not have a floating library on the Queen Mary?
    reply
  • Russ Roca

    11 months ago

    hey, how about a freedom of information request to see if anyone has submitted or proposed any developments for that area?
    reply
  • Bill Weber

    11 months ago

    Remember that the same firm, architects Hugh and Donald Gibbs, designed the Gerald Daniel Concert Hall at Cal State Long Beach, which collapse at 10:30 AM, July 2, 1990. Has any civic inquiry been made into the mistakes made in the library building? Bill Weber
    reply
  • Off with their heads!

    11 months ago

    And NOW the city is pushing to expend millions on a Cultural Affairs Bureau? What will it take to get a mob outside of City Hall? How crazy are these politicians?
    reply
  • LB City Girl

    11 months ago

    #5--I couldn't agree more...."Cultural Affairs Bureau?"
    Sounds like BS. We already have ways of procuring and distributing funding for the arts. The city needs to drop this idea.
    reply
  • John_B

    11 months ago

    “Off…” (5) and JB (6): As I understand it, Mr. West is proposing the elimination of 10 positions in the current Economic Development Bureau (EDB), arguably saving us about $1 million, then adding the responsibilities for the new “Municipal Cultural Affairs” entity to those of the remaining Economic Development Bureau employees.

    The name of the proposed entity is a bit confusing since, organizationally speaking, you wouldn’t have one Bureau within another. More than likely Municipal Cultural Affairs would become a Division within the EDB or EDB might possibly be re-named “Economic Development and Municipal Cultural Affairs Bureau.

    In any case, if my information is accurate, we wont be spending any more for this program…
    reply
  • kdog

    11 months ago

    If it has been leaking since day one isn't that something to take up with the architect and contractor? Where was the city on that one? If someone built our houses like that we would sue and they would fix it. Where was the city on that one? Also, hasn't the city saved millions of dollars over the years by not fixing it? So, spend it now. It should have already been done.

    If the concrete planters are too heavy get a crane and remove them. That seems simple enough to do to me.

    I don't see them clsoing down city hall.
    reply
  • Erin

    11 months ago

    I spent a lot of time at the library when I was unemployed and passing the time with my head in a book. Wait, that sounds like half the population of Main library users. Although I've adopted a new biblioteca, I am so sad to hear of this ones passing but maybe the new construction won't have the same pseudo-uncomfortable effect of Ayn Rand-esque architecture looming over transients relaxing on the grass.
    reply
  • Andy

    11 months ago

    Let's see, Patrick West, the architect of buying out Acres of Books for $2.8 million of your tax dollars, wants to close the main library in favor of a public/private developer arrangement...in other words, more giveaways to developers and less library for you.

    I'm sure the RDA's budget for unchecked spending will continue while libraries, parks, and anything else that isn't protected by corrupt city interests are closed or sold off .
    reply
  • Don Farmer

    10 months ago

    This is NOT an emergency situation-- why close a library with no plans/financing/site in place?
    You are disenrfranchsing about 20,000+ downtown people who use MAIN as their neighborhood library. It seems irresponsible to close a library with no alternative in place
    reply
  • Mary Hill

    10 months ago

    If the building is that bad off, it makes sense to start anew. However, they really should have a plan in place as to the building of a new library and what they plan to do for the citizens in the meantime. Since transportation is an issue, I wonder if doing a temporary deliver/pickup service of books would be too expensive? Patrons can file requests via Internet or phone?
    reply

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