BRANCH SOLIDARITY: MHNO passes resolution supporting branch library solidarity

Branch Library Resolution

Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization (MHNO)
Adopted May 12, 2008

Recognizing that access to a diversified, full service Neighborhood Branch Library, serving the needs of both children and adults, is a vital part of sustainable Community Infrastructure, the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization goes on record as supporting continued diversity, serving everyone -elders, youth, parents and other adults, as well as children – who are all a part of our community, at the Munjoy Hill Branch of the Portland Public Library (which first opened in the Adams School in 1958), and stands in solidarity with the West End Neighborhood Association, whose Reiche Branch is under threat of closure.

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Reiche Branch library may get reprieve [PPH article]

Reiche Branch library may get reprieve
 
The branch in Portland’s West End will stay open if city councilors restore $30,000 in the budget.

By KELLEY BOUCHARD, Staff Writer  [ PORTLAND PRESS HERALD ] 
 
May 13, 2008

The Reiche Branch of the Portland Public Library would get a year’s reprieve under a new spending proposal outlined at Monday’s City Council budget workshop.

Library officials said the branch in Portland’s West End would stay open if the council restores a $30,000 reduction in the 2008-09 municipal budget.

However, they also said the current library organization and staffing for the main library on Congress Street at Monument Square and five neighborhood branches isn’t sustainable.

Under the latest proposal, the city would provide $3.1 million – the same as this year – to fund 82 percent of the library’s operating budget.

The library would be able to retain two part-time librarians who operate the branch at Reiche Elementary School 20 hours per week, Stephen Podgajny, the library’s executive director, told the council.

The library would still have to lay off the equivalent of five full-time employees, all of them at the main library. It would be closed on Mondays as a result.

Councilor David Marshall, who represents the West End, said he will recommend that the $30,000 be restored when the council debates and votes on the municipal budget next Monday.

In return, Marshall said, library officials are expected to analyze library facilities and services in the coming year and develop a long-range plan to address rising costs, limited financial resources and changing library needs. Both library officials and councilors noted that the lack of such a plan leaves the Reiche Branch in jeopardy, along with other branches, including the Munjoy Hill Branch in the East End.

“It strikes me that the East End branch is no more sustainable than the Reiche Branch,” said John Anton, an at-large councilor who lives in the West End.

Library officials provided a 15-page memo answering questions councilors asked after last week’s surprise announcement that the Reiche Branch would close. The memo outlines several planned changes, such as temporarily moving children’s services from the main library to the Munjoy Hill Branch during a two-year, $8.5 million renovation of the main library.

Munjoy Hill Branch hours would increase from 20 to 45 hours per week while children’s staff from the main library is working there, Podgajny said. The memo says the Munjoy Hill Branch would resume traditional branch services after the renovation, but it also raises concern about maintaining all of the branches.

“The current system is not sustainable in light of a variety of service principles and fiscal realities,” the memo says.

The memo lists these lending totals, for books and other items, at each branch: Burbank, 214,672; Riverton, 56,920; Peaks Island, 35,499; Munjoy Hill, 29,651; and Reiche, 16,644.

The memo also provides lending and branch information for 14 other public libraries in the Northeast. Portland (population 64,656) has one library outlet for every 10,776 people. “We have more branches per capita than any other city in New England,” Podgajny said outside the council meeting.

Also, Portland had a per-capita lending rate of 11 items in 2005, topped only by the three-branch library system in West Hartford, Conn. (population 61,392), which has a rate of 13 items.

The memo suggests working with various community groups to provide a spectrum of library services, from children’s reading hours to special speakers, in all Portland neighborhoods.

Earlier this month, the council’s finance committee restored $20,000 of a proposed $50,000 reduction in the city’s library appropriation.

Marshall said the remaining $30,000 would come from a contingency fund, so it wouldn’t increase the budget.

As proposed, the combined $274.5 million city and school budget would increase Portland’s property tax rate by 64 cents (3.7 percent), from $17.10 to $17.74 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at:

kbouchard@pressherald.com

 

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Maine Voices: Reiche library meets neighborhood needs [PPH Op-Ed]

Editorials [Portland Press Herald OP-ED]
 
Maine Voices: Reiche library meets neighborhood needs

All the reasons given for shutting it down have alternatives that would keep it open.

By JO COYNE, Special to the Press Herald
 
May 12, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jo Coyne (e-mail: jocoyne@gwi.net) is a resident of Portland.
I am extremely concerned about the recently announced plan to close the branch library at Reiche Elementary School.

I struggle to understand how such a decision could be made without advance neighborhood discussion.

Portland Public Library Director Stephen Podgajny and other officials are well aware that the Reiche Community Center, including the library, has suffered years of neglect.

They know that the neighborhood has been working hard to renovate the facility and rejuvenate its programs. Residents did some fine visioning in a community design workshop in the fall of 2006 and have enjoyed some small measures of progress since that time.

During the past year the city has made major improvements to the pool and locker rooms. Just recently, the expenditure of $225,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds was approved for additional improvements.

And now the library should be closed? I am glad that there will finally be an opportunity to communicate directly when Podgajny attends the upcoming meeting of the West End Neighborhood Association on Wednesday.

In the meantime, I would like to respond to what I hear.

“Reiche library should be closed because it’s the closest branch to the main library.”

That may be technically true, but because the Munjoy branch is no longer in a central location, much of that neighborhood’s population resides closer to the main library than to the branch. Reiche lies a busy 0.8 miles from the main library, and the way between them is a difficult route for children and the elderly, particularly in winter.

“Reiche’s adult book circulation is lower than other branches.”

Circulation figures never tell the whole story. Reiche’s services might benefit from having fewer books and more computers. An infusion of ESOL-appropriate and foreign language materials would help, too. Look at our population!

“Cutting across the board would result in a lackluster public library.”

The Burbank branch is open 40 hours per week and each of the other branches 20 hours. I fail to see how leveling the playing field and/or making equitable cuts at all the branches would dim the library more than would eliminating neighborhood library services in a part of the city that needs more, not fewer, literacy services.

“Portland West could house Reiche’s computers and circulate its children’s books.”

Portland West provides fine services for many residents of the West End but it is not a library. Its staff members are not trained in book selection, reader advisory services or reading promotion.

Exactly how would spending more time at Portland West, a social services agency, help children become lifelong learners who have developed the habit of using libraries?

I would ask the library’s administrators and trustees to be mindful of Reiche’s history.

Blocks of homes and businesses were taken by eminent domain in the late ’60s and early ’70s for Reiche School and Community Center.

Part of the justification included the many needs of the many lower socioeconomic residents of the area. I don’t see that times have changed much.

Skin colors have changed, languages have been added and some gentrification has taken place, but the West End still is home to many people in need of strong community support.

I am sorry for the current economic crisis and I understand that cuts must be made. I do ask, however, that they be made equitably.

I hope that once the people have had a chance to speak, the Portland Public Library’s leaders will reverse this decision.

 

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Reiche branch library: the latest info

Portland Public Library’s latest plan:               [ LIBRARY BUDGET – PDF]

Close Reiche                        [LATEST Save Our Library! FLYER – PDF]

Burbank remains open 40 hours per week

Riverton and Peaks remain open 20 hours per week

Munjoy’s hours increase to 40 hours per week

 

Check out the new Save the Branches blog, created by Ed Democracy: www.savethebranches.wordpress.com This is an important site for library users in all parts of Portland. Many wonder, if Reiche can be dismissed so easily, which other branch will be the next victim. Thanks, Ed, for helping us to keep up to speed and to share information!

 

Ongoing coverage of efforts to save our branch libraries is also available at these news websites:

http://thebollard.com/

http://www.theforecaster.net/front.php?sectionid=portland&catid=news

http://thewestendnews.com/

 

Attachments: (1) Library budget (2) Meeting and contact info (Please note: The City Council’s budget workshop (May 12, 5 p.m., City Hall) is open to the public. No comments will be taken but attendance will be noted. Please attend if possible!

 

5.08.08 From Councilor John Anton to several residents that had contacted him:

Thank you all for contacting me to express your concern about the proposed closing of Reiche library. I share your concern and I wanted to take a moment to offer my thoughts on where we are and what we are heading.

 

WHERE WE ARE:    [ LIBRARY BUDGET – PDF]

Attached to this email is a copy of the budget that the Library Trustees provided to the City Council at the beginning of the Finance Committee’s budget review process. On pg. 6 of the 11 page pdf file, you will note that the Library’s proposed budget of $3,988,509 includes funding for all 3 school-based branches (Reiche, EECS and Riverton. The library’s FY 09 budget submittal has 18% of its revenues coming from outside sources and 82% from the city.

 

The library’s budget submittal proposed increasing the city’s contribution to the library by approx. $160,000 (compare the 1^st and 3^rd columns on page 1 of the pdf). The city manager responded by reducing the library’s requested amount of city funding by approx. $210,000 (compare the 3^rd and 4^th columns on page 1 of the pdf). The result was a net $50,000 decrease in the city’s contribution to the library from FY 08 to FY 09 (compare the 1^st and 4^th columns on page 1 of the pdf). The Finance Committee of the City Council has recommended increasing the city’s contribution to the library by $20,000, which would result in a net decrease of $30,000 in the city’s contribution to the library from FY 08 to FY 09 and a $190,000 “hole” in the budget proposed by the Library to the City.

 

The Manager’s proposal has been on the table since April 1 and until last week, the Finance Committee had not heard that the Trustees were planning to close the Reiche branch to fill the “hole.” As a Finance Committee member, this is frustrating because I believe that we worked hard to fine tune the budget to diminish “quality of life” impacts (e.g., restoring funding for Kiwanis Pool) while living within our very real fiscal constraints. Without knowledge of potential impacts of budget proposals, we could not make informed decisions.

 

MY OBSERVATIONS:

I have no understanding of the context in which the decision to close Reiche was made. I want to know:

 

a)      What are the Library’s long-term plans for all its branches or is this simply a reaction to a one year budget shortfall?

b)      How were these long-term plans developed? Whose input was solicited? How was it solicited?

 

Who “owns” our three school-based community centers (Reiche, EECS and Riverton)? Programs are run through these locations by (at least) three distinct but interdependent entities – the Library, the School Department and the City. My limited experience has been that the integration of those three entities is by no means seamless. The managerial and political result is that, while the community centers have huge benefit, their activities occupy only tiny fractions of the budgets of the Library, the Schools and the City and, as such, have no champions in the budget exercise. West End residents have made great strides in recent years in demanding more attention to the Reiche Community Center. They (we) must now demand that the Library Trustees engage with the School Dept and the City Administration in planning about how all three school-based community centers will be valued and managed.

 

What is the Library’s strategy for diversifying its revenues? The library’s revenues are derived roughly 80% from the city and 20% from other sources. This year’s budget proposal proposed increasing revenues from the city by $210,000 while increasing revenues from other sources by only $2,500. Given the city’s long-term revenue challenges, it is unrealistic for the library to rely solely on the City to manage its expense increases.

 

WHAT NEXT?

The City Council only appropriates money for the Library; we do not govern its operations. The Library is instead governed by its Board of Trustees, which authorizes the final budget and policy decisions. Those who are concerned with changes in the Library system should attend the next meeting of the Library’s Trustees, which will be held on Wednesday May 14 at 4 pm at the Main Library.

 

My request to the Trustees is as follows:

 

1)         Slow down. Find a different interim solution for covering the budget shortfall while engaging in a community dialogue about the future of the library system.

2)         Work with the School Dept. and City to integrate service delivery at all 3 school-based community centers.

3)         Diversify your income stream. Fund raise, change your fee structure.

4)         Don’t shoot yourself in the foot. The Library is in the home stretch of a capital campaign which will then segue into greater efforts to raise money for the Annual Fund. Failure to engage with the community about the Library’s plans for the future will undermine those efforts. Peace, John

 

5.08.08 From State Rep. Jon Hinck to John Anton and residents that had contacted John

Thank you for forwarding this analysis.  It helps to fill in some of the gaps in the decision making process thus far.   You have also set forth questions that I think many of us would like to see answered.  What I do not know at this stage is who the person who will provide definitive answers to the questions.  I feel that people concerned about the fate of the Reiche branch library have a legitimate wariness over these kinds of decisions that are spread over or appear to fall in between more than one city body.  The process to date seems to have gone something like this: first, the city has arrived at a sum to allocate to the budget of the library system; then, faced with a reduced allocation, the library trustee have decide on what is the best or easiest way to divide money within the system.  It seems this two step process got us here and led to the sudden and surprise announcement of last week.  At this stage that the city should step back and look at this situation another way.  Acknowledging the city’s severe budget constraints, some still needs to assess whether closing an important community asset in the neighborhood that you and I know well is proper, just and smart when compared to all other ways to reduce expenses or increase revenues.  The Reiche branch library does not cost this city much money but, as you know, it does serve a vital function.  Please let us all know of any answers you receive and I will be pleased to work with you to find another way to approach this.  Jon Hinck 

 

 

WEST END NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

Trade time and talents through Maine Time Banks

 

 [LATEST Save Our Library! FLYER – PDF]

 

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Meeting with Library Director & District Councilor

District 1 City Councilor, Kevin Donoghue, reports that he and Library Director, Steve Podgajny will host a neighborhood meeting Tuesday night at 7:30 at the MUNJOY Branch Library (195 North Street).  

Donoghue says that, “according to the library director, no plans now exist to close the Munjoy Branch after the proposed two-year period as the city’s children’s branch. ” 

Donoghue points out that, “The Monday City Council Workshop is not a public hearing and there will not be public comment at that time.” 

Heather Curtis, Munjoy Hill resident, said, “I plan on attending the City Council workshop Monday at 5, even if it is not a Public Hearing where Public Comment will be taken. I have found that it is often a good idea to attend workshop sessions, to be sure I am receiving the information needed to make informed choices as a Citizen. ”

 

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Reiche is more than a library branch; it supports a community [PPH Letters to the Editor]

Editorials [Portland Press Herald – May 10, 2008]
 
Reiche is more than a library branch; it supports a community

 

[PHOTO]
Kimberly Carr and her children enjoy their weekly visit to the Reiche Branch of the Portland Public Library system to check out books. Carr said the family would be unhappy if the branch were to close.

REICHE CLOSURE PROPOSED [SIDEBAR]

Portland Public Library officials would close the Reiche Branch under the 2008-09 municipal budget proposal before the City Council, which asked for information about the library’s staffing and facilities plan before the council’s 5 p.m. budget workshop Monday. The council is scheduled to vote on the municipal budget on May 19.

 

 

[LETTER #1]

As a resident of the West End, I am very disappointed in the plan made by the Library Board of Trustees to close the Reiche Branch of the Portland Public Library. I am a parent of two young children and frequent our neighborhood branch after school. It is a short walk from our house and part of our neighborhood.

I am upset that a branch that serves a large “walking” community is being closed. We often see people we know at the library and have a chance to build our community. The library is always filled with children reading and using the computers.

These are kids who would often not have another opportunity to read or use computers at home. Our Reiche branch is filled with many people for whom English is not their first language. It is a safe place for them to convene and gather.

I understand that Reiche has the lowest lending rate of all the branches, but I doubt that it has the lowest number of people walk through the door. There are always people there accessing and utilizing the opportunities of a neighborhood library, even if they are not checking out books.

Jeremy Stein

Portland

 

 

[LETTER #2]

I was alarmed to learn of the book-borrowing metric used to justify the closing of the Reiche branch.

From a classical and etymological standpoint, it is true libraries are about books and borrowing, and this is something that the Reiche branch does very well. However, libraries also offer programs, computer access, public space and a place for communities and people to be connected to one another, the city and the world at large.

I will not be so arrogant as to suggest that I have a better understanding of library budget issues than you, but from a man-hour analysis, it seems that shortening the main branch’s hours by an additional 30 minutes a week would fund Reiche for its current 20- hour weekly schedule.

Zachary Barowitz

Portland

 

 

[LETTER #3]

It is difficult to accept the Portland Public Library board’s reasons for closing the Reiche Library branch. Why can’t they spread the budget pain among all of the branches?

The board has long shortchanged Reiche on hours (it is open two fewer days than other branches and in past years has had its hours subsidized by Reiche School).

Now they say Reiche Library must bear the brunt of the budget cuts and close, because the branch doesn’t loan as many books. Isn’t that faulty logic? The library, when it is open, has a steady stream of children and adults reading, using the computer and borrowing books.

It can hardly be expected to meet a lending level achieved by branches with more days and a history of more consistent hours.

They say it is the branch nearest the Main Library, yet isn’t Munjoy’s branch as close or nearly so?

The board’s decision does not make sense. One day subtracted from the schedules of Burbank, Munjoy, Peaks and Riverton would be more than enough to keep Reiche open. Director Stephen Podgajny says that it isn’t feasible. Why not organize a shared staffing arrangement?

Portland’s elementary schools have for many years shared music art and gym teachers — so there is a precedent.

The mayor and City Council should step in and demand more equitable cuts. The mission of the library is to serve all of Portland’s residents. Please do the right thing. Find a way keep the Reiche Library open.

Kathryn Buxton

Portland

 

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Save Our Library – UPDATE

Save Our Library – FLYER  [Click here for PDF]

As you contact City Councilors, City Manager Joe Gray and library administrators and trustees (contact information below and attached), please keep in mind these facts.

• While it’s true that Reiche is closer to the main library than other branches, at least half of Munjoy’s population lives closer to the main library than to the Munjoy branch now that it’s housed in the East End Community School and closer than most of us to the main library.
• The library’s stated mission includes supporting “the educational, informational, and recreational interests of all community members.” Notice that it says “all,” not “all who read in English and who use the library in a traditional manner and who check out a lot of adult books.” 
• Portland Public Library is a private non-profit corporation. Most of its budget comes from City tax dollars, but because it serves as one of Maine’s three Area Reference and Resource Center (ARCCs), about 5% (likely to be cut) comes from the state. All residents of York and Cumberland counties may use the library free of charge and may sit on the Board of Trustees. Currently one-third of the trustees do not reside in Portland.
• In order for the library not to be “lackluster,” budgets for books, databases, and other materials will not be affected by budget cuts. Cuts will be “limited” to staff, hours and Reiche branch library.
• For at least two years, while the main library is undergoing renovations, the plan calls for all children’s books to be moved to the Munjoy branch, with hours there expanded to 40 hours per week. It’s unclear what would happen to young adult and audiovisual materials.
• Other proposed cuts: Close the main library on Mondays. Staff reductions including the Portland Room (hub for local and regional research). No administrative reductions are planned.

WENA Vice President Rosanne Graef’s letter to City Councilors and the PPL Director:

Dear Councilors and Director,

I’m writing to express my opposition to the proposed cuts in library hours that Stephen Podgajny has proposed for the Reiche Branch Library and also for the Main Library.

If there have to be cuts in hours at the branch libraries, those cuts should be spread across the board and not targeted all on one neighborhood as is being proposed by eliminating all hours at Reiche. The library at Reiche is a vital resource in supporting the school as well as the citizens in this area. Many children use that branch and are unable to go to the main library, many adults are able to quickly walk to Reiche and avoid the hassles and waste of driving and parking downtown. A section of the city where there are a considerable number of residents of moderate means especially needs the resources that a public library can offer and a period of economic uncertainty is not the time to terminate this service.

With regard to the proposal to eliminate opening the main library on Mondays, I believe this is really especially unfair to the many, many patrons who use the electronic services of the library, especially those without a computer or Internet access at home. In addition, I teach ESOL through Literacy Volunteers at the library on Monday and Wednesday mornings and do one-on-one tutoring there often. Eliminating Monday hours would have a tremendously negative impact on this program. If cutbacks in hours have to be made, I would suggest shortening each of the six open day’s hours by 1.5 hours rather than taking the whole hit of 9 hours on Monday.

Sincerely yours,

Rosanne Graef

 

Meeting into:

City Council Budget Workshop, Monday, May 12, 5 p.m., City Hall (no public input)

PPL Board of Trustees: Wednesday, May 14, 4 p.m., main library

WENA meeting with PPL Director and other City officials: Wed., May 14, 6:30 p.m., Reiche

 

Contact info:

City Manager  jeg@portlandmaine.gov

City Councilors 

http://www.portlandmaine.gov/citycou.htm

Portland Public Library Administrators

http://www.portlandlibrary.com/research/ask.htm

Portland Public Library Trustees

http://www.portlandlibrary.com/aboutppl/about.htm#trustees

 

 

 

 

 

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Editorial Board to visit Portland’s East End School on Monday [PPH Editorial]

Editorials [Portland Press Herald]
 
Editorial Board to visit Portland’s East End School on Monday
 
You’ve heard our opinions, now we’d like to hear yours.

May 9, 2008

The last year has been a tumultuous one for the city of Portland.

Beginning with last spring’s fight over the school budget, followed by revelations of overspending by school officials, the stalemate over the Maine State Pier, a hotly contested City Council race and the down-to-the-wire argument over accepting state funds to build a replacement for the Nathan Clifford School, Portland stories have been prominent in our news pages.

These are all issues on which have received comment in our editorial page as well, and we’ve heard opinions from many of you through letters to the editor, Maine Voices columns and online comments.

From 6 p.m to 7:30 p.m. Monday, we’d like you to share your views in person on all that is going on in Maine’s biggest city, and to hear what issues you want to talk about in the months ahead.

On hand will be Charles C. Cochrane, president and chief executive officer of Blethen Maine Newspapers; Jeannine Guttman, editor and vice president of the newspaper; John W. Porter, editorial page editor; M. D. Harmon, editorial writer and Forum page editor, and Greg Kesich, editorial writer.

We hold these meetings around the state about four times a year and they have open agendas.

We take a few minutes to describe what we do and how we do it. Then we turn the meeting over to the audience, letting you drive the conversation with your questions and comments.

While Portland is our home base, it has been awhile since we’ve held one of these sessions here.

Judging from the stories that we’ve seen in our newspaper over the past year, there should be plenty to talk about.

 

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Library closing unfortunate, but not unreasonable [PPH Editorial]

 Editorials [Portland Press Herald]

Library closing unfortunate, but not unreasonable

The fiscal realities in Portland add up to real cuts in services in many areas.

May 9, 2008

One of the tough things about the pending municipal and school budgets in Portland is that taxpayers will end up paying more while getting noticably less in return. It’s natural, then, that people will be unhappy with some of the tough decisions that have to be made.

One such tough decision is the plan to close the Portland Public Library branch located at Reiche Elementary School in the city’s West End as well as a reorientation of services offered at the library branch on the East End.

While ideally the city could avoid such cuts, what has been proposed is not at all unreasonable under the circumstances. Certainly, given the city’s financial state, it would not be appropriate for the City Council to restore funding for these library branches when so many other cuts — including to public safety services — have to be made.

The Reiche library branch is relatively close to the city’s main library and has the lowest lending rate of the satellite branches on the mainland. Given that, it does make some sense that it would close ahead of other branches.

At the East End Community School, the library branch there is to shift its focus to children’s books, with the expectation that those services will return to the main library. This has raised questions about the long term fate of the East End branch. Another cost-saving measure calls for closing the main library on Mondays.

While ideally the city could find the money to expand rather than contract library services, rising property taxes, fueled by rising employee health care, energy and other municipal expenses, call for some difficult choices.

Each city service exists because there are people who benefit from it. Bringing the size of Portland’s government in line with its tax revenue capacity means cutting back even as tax rates rise.

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Library plans to shut down Reiche branch

Library plans to shut down Reiche branch

By Kate Bucklin ( published: May 08, 2008 )  [The FORECASTER]

PORTLAND – The West End’s branch library is slated to be closed as part of operational and staff cuts library officials say are required by the city’s 2009 budget.City councilors, who learned over the weekend about the plan to close the Reiche branch, requested additional information from library administrators during a budget public hearing Monday. Library funding from the city for the 2009 fiscal year is proposed to be about $3.1 million, $30,000 less than this year. The library fundraises about 14 percent of its budget. Library Executive Director Steve Podgajny three weeks ago warned that staff cuts and reduced hours were likely despite increased library use. On Monday, prior to the budget hearing, he said that in response to the city proposed spending plan he will have to cut more than five staff positions, reduce hours at the main library in Monument Square and close the Reiche branch. The library is one of several departments being affected by a tight budget proposal that includes more than 70 layoffs and consolidation of some city departments. After learning that the Reiche branch is on the chopping block, West End residents began sending letters to councilors. They also planned a protest Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at the Reiche School on Brackett Street. Shelly Rollins, a Brackett Street resident and frequent user of the branch library, said she thought the library administration should spread the reduction in hours among the five branch libraries instead of closing one. “Some of us older residents, we can’t get to the main branch,” Rollins said. “I use the (Reiche) library a lot. I just learned to use the computers a bit.” Podgajny said the decision to close Reiche was difficult. The library looked at the main library first for reductions, and decided to cut 4 1/2 positions and close on Mondays. “At that point, we were stretched to the end and had to look at neighborhood presence,” Podgajny said. The Reiche decision was based on several factors, including its proximity to the main branch and lending levels. Reiche, Podgajny said, is closest to Monument Square and has the least lending. “We cannot maintain a West End presence,” he said, adding that the library is interested in talking with West End organizations like Portland West and the West End Neighborhood Association to see if some sort of collaboration is possible. The Portland Public Library is governed by a board of trustees. That board has the final say in plans to alter hours and staff at the library. At-Large City Councilor John Anton on Monday encouraged the public to lobby trustees about the proposed closure. The trustees’ next public meeting is May 14 at 4 p.m. at the main library. Anton also asked city staff to compile information about the three community centers that exist in elementary schools – Reiche, East End Community School and Riverton – and list how much budget money flows through each. The cost of keeping the Reiche branch open is about $80,000 annually, Podgajny said. “We are not trying to gain economic leverage here,” he added. “We are not interested in making cuts for some artificial equity. To cut hours down in areas doing very well simply is not a good way to spend money.” Several people at Monday’s public hearing asked the council to find a way to spare the branch. Pamela Lord of Park Street said she moved to Portland a few years ago because of factors including safety and public services like the Reiche library. “You need to keep the city safe and keep library functions, especially in poorer areas,” she said. The other branch libraries include the Burbank branch, across from Deering High School; the Munjoy branch at the East End School; the Riverton branch at the Riverton School and the Peaks Island branch. Reiche parent and teacher Annetta Weatherhead asked the council Monday to find a way to keep the Reiche branch open. She said the branch serves as a safe place for kids after school. She also said because hours at the Reiche school library were cut back in recent years, teachers have been taking classes to the branch library. “It is a critical learning tool for our school,” she said. West End resident and state Rep. Jon Hinck also spoke in support of the Reiche branch. “Closing that would strike directly at the livability of a neighborhood,” Hinck said. He said the small scale of the branch library is comfortable for kids and older residents. The City Council has a budget workshop meeting scheduled for Monday, May 12, at 5 p.m. in council chambers. Councilors will vote on the $185 million budget on May 19 at 7 p.m. Kate Bucklin can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 106 or kbucklin@theforecaster.net.

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