Statement before the Glenn A. Walsh
Allegheny Regional
Asset District:
Lower North Side -- Telephone: 412-561-7876
Two
Years with No Electronic
Mail: < gaw@andrewcarnegie.cc
>
Public Library Service Internet Site: < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc
>
Despite Repaired Library 2008 March 31
Good afternoon. I am Glenn A.
Walsh of
A week from today will mark
exactly two years that the Lower North Side has gone without public library
service. The first year of no library service may have been unavoidable, due to
the tragic lightning strike that temporarily closed the historic Allegheny
Regional Branch of Carnegie Library, However, this circumstance has been completely avoidable since repairs to
the Allegheny Regional Library were completed in May of last year!
Although Library management
has stated that books have been removed from the Allegheny Regional Library,
anyone who looks in the Library’s front doors today can see that not all of the books have been removed from
the building. All of the book stacks, visible from the front doors, are
full of books! It is likely that books were removed only from the sections of
the building that were damaged. At any rate, it is obvious that many of the
Allegheny Regional Library’s books remain, waiting for the public.
How long will the public have
to wait to use these books? There still
has not even been a groundbreaking for the proposed new North Side library! Why
cannot Carnegie Library reopen the Allegheny Regional Library, now, and then move the books later if
they must have this fancy new library?
The point is that RAD funds
Carnegie Library to perform a public mission. And, for two years, the portion of this mission that serves the
residents of the North Side has not been performed, even though Carnegie
Library still has received the money earmarked for this service.
I realize that you do not
wish to micromanage the assets you fund. But, where do you draw the line? When
an asset is taking RAD money, but not performing the earmarked service, is it not your responsibility to formally
address this matter?
I ask that you address this
matter by directing Carnegie Library management to reopen the Allegheny Regional Library within the next two months,
even if they actually build a new library, someday.
Thank you.
gaw