Statement
before the Glenn
A. Walsh
Council of
The City of
Carnegie Library’s Electronic Mail: < gaw@andrewcarnegie.cc
>
Allegheny
Regional Internet
Site: < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc
>
Branch Library 2007 December 27
Good morning. I am Glenn A.
Walsh of
In 1994, The Carnegie
abandoned the historic Buhl Planetarium building, because they did not want to
continue paying to operate two Science museum buildings on the Lower North
Side. The result was that the City of
It is likely that this will
happen again, should a new library building be built on
At the public hearing,
Northside Leadership Conference Executive Director Mark Fatla stated that he
has received no reply to his letter to Carnegie Library, suggesting that their
Rare Books Department be moved to the second floor of the historic Allegheny
Regional Library building. So, it is likely that, once a new
Arthur Ziegler of the
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation has stated that they have not been
able to find a new tenant for the building. Last year, the Children’s Museum
tried to convince charter school organizations, and even the Board of
Education, to take-over the Library building, with no success.
More than a year ago, Board
of Education Superintendent Mark Roosevelt rejected using the Library building
saying that renovation of the Library for use as the Rogers CAPA Middle School
"would be two or three times, maybe four or five times the cost of
Milliones." If the Board of Education, with their bonding authority,
cannot afford to renovate this building for another use, who can?
So far, the Lower North Side
has been without library service for more than a year and a-half. And, this is
despite the fact that $2 million of insurance money has been spent to repair
the Library building, and RAD money continues to be allocated for operation of
the Allegheny Regional Library. What is happening to this RAD money?
With repairs of the Library
building completed, the Allegheny Regional Library can continue to provide
quality library service to the residents of the North Side, as it did prior to
the lightning strike. I urge that you, the duly-elected representatives of the
people of
Thank you.
gaw