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
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