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Too many questions
remain unanswered about library
Peachtree City does not need
to spend $4.9 million on a new library. Do not get me wrong: PTC is in
very bad need for a new library, but spending $4.9 million is not going
to get the city the “state of the art, collegiate environment of
learning” it wants. A couple of months ago when the Library Commission
finally spoke and told the citizens of PTC that the cost of the library
was to be $4.9 million, I was floored.
So I sat down and wrote out a list of 20 questions that needed to be answered
before anyone could make an informed decision about the vote on the bond
referendum. The questions that I asked were a basic starting point for
the commission to use to get the correct information out to the voting
public. The majority of my questions were about the government procedure
of the bond referendum. So when those questions were not answered I was
not that concerned.
What concerned me the most was that my specific questions about the new
library were not answered and the one that was; the answer was vague and
still had not supplied me with enough information to make an informed
decision. Here is an example of my questions that I asked to be answered:
1. What is the actual design proposal for the new library? No pictures,
no fancy words, just the actual comparison about the old library facts/dimensions
versus the new library facts/dimensions? See photo copies of architect’s
proposal.
2. What is the current actual book shelf space in the library? (Question
not answered.)
3. After the construction, what will be the new actual book shelf space
in the library? (Question not answered.)
4. How much do you currently budget for procurement of new books and how
much do you actually spend? (Question not answered.)
5. What are the library’s criteria on book rotation? (Question not
answered.)
6. In the new library, where is the quiet study section going to be? How
are you going to keep this section quiet? What is the design of this section,
individual tables, cubicles, or private rooms? (Question not answered.)
7. What are the cost benefits of vending machines versus a concession
vendor? (Question not answered.)
8. Who was your focus group for the new library plan? How were they polled,
by survey in library, flier, telephone, general comments from people in
library? (Question not answered.)
Some of my friends asked the following questions to me, so I passed it
on to the Commission. Why is the commission asking for PTC’s property
taxes to be raised instead of having the city raise the sales tax for
a limited time to obtain the money for the cost of the library? A couple
of years ago, Fayetteville did that to build the Fayette County library.
I am still waiting for an answer to this question. This question is in
specific reference to a statement made by one of the members of the commission,
who said that a lot of people from other surrounding towns use PTC’s
library. So would it not make more sense to increase the sales tax for
a limited time than to make only PTC residents pay for the new library?
PTC does need a new library. The current library is old and well past
its prime. My biggest concern is that we will be taking good money and
trying to fix a very sick building. Even though the current cost for the
new library is budgeted at $4.9 million, once renovations start the cost
of the renovations will start to rise. There is no way that the current
architect can or could foresee everything that is currently wrong with
the building and so the estimated budget will grow once these new problems
arise. So $4.9 million will not be the final cost of new library. I would
really like to know how and why the Commission decided to renovate the
old building instead of looking for a new building to move the library
to or construct a brand new building.
I am also concerned with how many actual books and how much actual book
shelf space the new library will be obtaining. In the estimated budget
for the new library they only allocated 1 percent of that budget for new
books, which sickens me. Yes, I know that every year the library allocates
$100,000 for new book purchases in its yearly budget. The fact that there
is only 1 percent allocated for new books states to me that book procurement
is not the main objective here. Maybe the commission thinks that having
more computers and better software to run the day-to-day is where their
biggest bang for their buck is.
Then, there is also the cute amenities (i.e., a fireplace, concession
stand, and cell phone booths) which are that cute. But they do not motivate
a person’s desire to learn, they are just there for atmosphere. Finding
the right book at the right time motivates a person’s desire to learn.
They may not cost that much but they take away monies from other important
areas of the library, like the procurement of books.
Here’s a new question: Will other school curriculums or college preparatory
classes be used as factor in which books will be placed on a shelf or
in the reference section (i.e., Landmark Christian High School in Fairburn
or Woodward in Fayetteville)?
The reason for my writing this is not to anger people but to provide food
for thought for voters on Nov. 4th.
Andrea Brzoska,
Peachtree City, Ga.
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