Final days for community to speak out about saving its cultural heart
By Marcy Axness and Patric Hedlund, TME
The fate of Frazier Park Library and the rest of the Kern County Library System “is all up in the air at this time and anything can happen,” Andie Sullivan, libraries director, told The Mountain Enterprise in an interview Tuesday, July 28.
‘Anything can happen’
“They haven’t voted yet,” Sullivan reminded us. Kern County supervisors have been seen to change budget allocations on a dime at the last minute, “with any department—it has happened many times,” Sullivan added.
There will be a budget hearing Monday, Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. and another on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at the regular board meeting. The board’s last budget vote is on August 25.
“Residents have a right to make their voices heard on what they care about…what they are passionate about,” Sullivan said.
Earlier Is Better
Clerk of the Board staffer Christina Rockwell said it is wise “to get [your comments] in as soon as possible.”
She said there is “a lot of behind-the-scenes work” to get copies of all comments to the supervisors with adequate reading time prior to their meetings.
A 22% cut to the overall library system budget was proposed by County Administrator Ryan Alsop at the board’s June 30 meeting. The board and public were informed 28 comments from the public had been received. The next day, we learned there had actually been over 128 comments—emails, letters and telephone messages.
Then news of a proposed budget adjustment was floated out to the public, revising the already underfunded library system’s budget cut from 22% down to 7.5%, in line with most other county departments.
On Tuesday, Sullivan said that “none of our libraries have been ‘shut down,’” but admits that opening all the branches—about 23—“is not reality.”
Citing covid-19, she said she did not know when Frazier Park Library might be considered for reopening. She said there might be “curbside service” at some time in the future.
The list of libraries that will survive to open their doors when pandemic conditions permit has not been released.
On Wednesday, Supervisor Zack Scrivner’s aide Josh Foster said that Frazier Park is on “the reopen list,” but there is no definition of what that means.
Library Business Manager Mark Lewis said that also, but things change unexpectedly in county government, Sulliven said: “Its all part of the puzzle pieces. Another piece of the puzzle.”
Kern’s Legal Obligation
Foster pointed to a key piece of the Frazier Park Library puzzle Wednesday. He said Kern County is “legally obligated to keep that branch open for nine years, per the grant agreement with the state.” In fact, the commitment may be 50 years, based on conditions tied to state funds that helped build it. [See “The Fine Print” at right.]
Director of Libraries Sullivan explained there is still a month left in the budget process.
“They vote at the end of August,” she said, noting that the reduction of the library system’s budget cut from 22% to 7.5% has not yet been voted on yet by the board.
In this climate of uncertainty, the Frazier Park Friends of the Library recommend it is wise for the public to stay vigilant, and submit their comments to the board of supervisors and to Zack Scrivner’s office to state their concerns for their library.
“Without it, our community feels, to me, almost handicapped,” said Susan Chaney, president of the local Friends of the Library (FOL) chapter.
“I think a lot of other people feel the same way,” Chaney added.
How to Voice Your Opinion
• Submit email comment to publiccomment@kerncounty.com. Include your name and indicate “Library Budget” in the subject line;
• Call 661.868.3640 and leave a comment up to two minutes in length. Spell your name at the beginning of your message and clearly state that you are addressing the Library Budget item;
• To provide comments via teleconference during the live meeting, callers must first register with the Clerk of the Board at 661.868.3605 before the meeting begins. They will receive instructions and the call-in number and code. To sign up, call by 5 p.m. Friday, July 31 (for the Monday budget hearing) and by 5 p.m Monday, Aug. 3 (for the Tuesday board meeting). Provide your name, phone number and the agenda item you wish to address.
—Patric Hedlund contributed reporting to this story
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The Fine Print
As The Mountain Enterprise reported about the history of Frazier Park Library’s origins in our July 3 issue, agreements were signed by Kern County officials so they could acquire a $3.4 million state construction grant to build the Frazier Park Branch Library for about $6.3 million.
A condition of the state grant requires Kern County to keep the library open for a minimum of 20 years, or “the useful life of the building, whichever is longer.”
California code #19967 spells it out: “(a) A facility, or the part thereof, acquired, constructed, remodeled, or rehabilitated with grants received pursuant to this chapter shall be dedicated to public library direct service use for a period of not less than 20 years following completion of the project, or the useful life of the building, whichever is longer.”
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From comments received by Kern County supervisors:
I won’t waste your time with hyperbole, but I do believe that without the library there would be a decline in our mountain community, with the impact being upon the most vulnerable of our society—the elderly and the young people.
Perhaps I could present a barter? Every winter, our mountain community hosts thousands of visitors that come to play in our snow and visit our community. Local residents put up with traffic jams on our two-lane highway, help dig out cars stuck in snow, pick up trash left behind on our private properties, and patiently direct people to snow play areas.
I’m sure this would continue with or without our library, but I just wanted to present the fact that our community does “give back” to a much wider community area than our own mountain residents. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely yours, Carla Muller
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I am almost 12 years old, and I live in Frazier Park. If the library here closes down I won’t be able to get any books. You probably say go to another library and get books, but the closest library is 50 minutes away. My mom is not going to drive there and back for books every time we need some. She has 4 kids including me. The library here is less than 10 minutes away from my house—easy to go to and come back to my house, and it’s next to the park, making it easy to play at the park and then stop by the library on the way home.
I love reading so I would hate to see our library close down. Please do not close the library here. Daisy Dillon
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This is part of the July 31, 2020 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
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