Statement before Glenn
A. Walsh
Permanent Closing of
Historic
Hazelwood Telephone:
412-561-7876
Internet Web Site: <
http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
2004
March 10
Good morning. I am Glenn A.
Walsh of
Despite the opposition of the
majority of residents in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Hazelwood,
Carnegie
Library has announced that the historic Hazelwood Library building built by
Andrew Carnegie in 1900, will close, permanently,
this-coming Saturday, March 13 at 5:00 p.m. Amazingly, Carnegie Library has
given no firm date for the opening of the proposed Second Avenue library site;
on the library’s web page, they simply say, “Look for our reopening at the end of
March.”
Carnegie Library
has abandoned the legacy of their founder, Andrew Carnegie, and continues to
ignore the widely-expressed wishes of the majority of residents of the
neighborhood of Hazelwood.
What is even more
disconcerting is that the pleas of these City residents have fallen on deaf
ears here in Pittsburgh City Council, despite a well-attended City Council
public hearing on this issue on November 5. This confirms the fears of many, that
people living in a distressed, inner-city neighborhood have no influence on
This City Council would rather ‘bend-over-backwards’ to
accommodate a special interest, a large bureaucracy in Oakland that pays no
City property taxes—Carnegie Library--rather than support the wishes of the
majority of taxpayers of a City neighborhood such as Hazelwood
Why do you think
suburbanites are so against metropolitan government? This is exactly the
reason. It is not a race issue. Suburban residents are afraid of losing control
of their neighborhood, to a centralized government that is more interested in
special interests than in the wishes of the local taxpayers.
This is exactly
what has happened in Hazelwood. At two well-attended public meetings, the
majority of residents of Hazelwood made it quite clear that they oppose the
abandonment of the historic Hazelwood Library building by Carnegie Library.
Yet, this City Council looks the other way as Carnegie Library implements an agenda
that has complete disregard for the wishes of the residents.
What would you
think, if you lived in a suburban community? Would you want your municipality
to merge with the City of
Suburban
residents are watching you—very closely. If you continue to do nothing to
prevent the abandonment of the historic Hazelwood Library building, then
suburbanites will know that they would be treated the same way in any merged
City-County government. They will continue fighting such a merger. And, many
suburban residents may continue opposing anything that would help the City of
The Hazelwood
Library building is City property. This Council can stop the abandonment of
this City building by Carnegie Library. Failure of this Council to do so will clearly
show both city residents and suburbanites that residents of this City do not count,
unless they are aligned with a favored special interest.
Is this the image
this Council wants to project? The decision is up to you!
Thank you.
gaw