District seeks land for three libraries

There's no need for buying land to build 3 new libraries since hardly anyone uses the current 2 facilities. How about closing one and rebating some taxes? Now there's a novel idea!!!!

How many cities do you know that have their library off the beaten track? They want to put the Lockport branch on Bruce Road. WHAT!

Did anyone get and fill out the survey the library mailed out?

I did and commented on the form I thought it was poor planning to want to try and build three libraries all at once,

For many, many, many years the Desplaines Valley Library system has chosen to ignore the residents of Romeoville, and treat them as second class citizens, and now they want to have the residents of Fountandale Library to jump ship from a library that has not only serviced their residents but those from Desplaines Valley as well. Why would the residents north of 135th choose to join a library system that has ignored so many for so long?

The talk is that those north of 135th will be paying for a new library in Bolingbrook. So instead we should be asked to pay for a new library in Lockport and another one in Crest Hill? so instead of paying for one we should be happy to pay for 3? What they don't talk about is the fact that any resident of Fountaindale including those north of 135th in Romeoville, can go into the Bolingbrook branch and use the library, check out books, and do research in that library just as easy as they can go to the Romeoville library branch.

The purposed Lockport location is on Bruce Rd? That can be as long of a drive from parts of Lockport as the drive from north Romeoville to the new Bolingbrook branch location. And, if there is a book or reference material that is only in Lockport, the Romeoville resident would have to drive to that branch to get that material? A much longer drive than a drive to Bolingbrook.

Why would we voluntarily switch to Desplaines?

I WILL BE VOTING NO!

Romeoville residents in the Fountaindale District won't have any vote for annexation. This portion of the process will be settled in front of a judge, according to Scott Pointon at a Crest Hill forum last week.

If the Fountaindale residents want to stay in Fountaindale, they have to fight it in court.

Romeoville Dad wrote:

For many, many, many years the Desplaines Valley Library system has chosen to ignore the residents of Romeoville, and treat them as second class citizens, and now they want to have the residents of Fountandale Library to jump ship from a library that has not only serviced their residents but those from Desplaines Valley as well. Why would the residents north of 135th choose to join a library system that has ignored so many for so long?
The talk is that those north of 135th will be paying for a new library in Bolingbrook. So instead we should be asked to pay for a new library in Lockport and another one in Crest Hill? so instead of paying for one we should be happy to pay for 3? What they don't talk about is the fact that any resident of Fountaindale including those north of 135th in Romeoville, can go into the Bolingbrook branch and use the library, check out books, and do research in that library just as easy as they can go to the Romeoville library branch.
The purposed Lockport location is on Bruce Rd? That can be as long of a drive from parts of Lockport as the drive from north Romeoville to the new Bolingbrook branch location. And, if there is a book or reference material that is only in Lockport, the Romeoville resident would have to drive to that branch to get that material? A much longer drive than a drive to Bolingbrook.
Why would we voluntarily switch to Desplaines?
I WILL BE VOTING NO!

Good to hear an opinion from Romeoville. We in Lockport did not know that you had other options. Apparently the DesPlaines Library people didn't either. Get the word out to your neighbors! Nobody I know wants what these librarians are suggesting.

Go to the Lockport facility and check it out for yourselves. If there are 4 visitors there at any given time, I'll bet that 3 or 4 are only using a computer to play poker or retrieve emails.

More money for something we don't need. The Homer library has almost anything you want. I think it's just the people that work there that are happy!

Geena wrote:

More money for something we don't need. The Homer library has almost anything you want. I think it's just the people that work there that are happy!

The whole library staff is carrying "job justification" to a new extreme. Maybe they should dust the shelves.

A library for people who don't read, or write. This is a real oxymoron. We have children doing innovative hands on drama activities, Hip Hop and Afrocentric reading and math, in school, all for the purpose of improving their math and reading skills. Why would we need a library, when we have such great curriculum in our schools.

We don't need a library, we need teachers to teach normal math, english, reading, history, geography, spelling, civics, science, economics, and any other logical, common sence subject. Hip Hop won't get you a job or pass the ISATs.

Jim G from Lockport wrote:

There's no need for buying land to build 3 new libraries since hardly anyone uses the current 2 facilities. How about closing one and rebating some taxes? Now there's a novel idea!!!!

It seems that the people in the district wanting to build these libraries have their agenda. They are putting the worst spin on the condition of the existing facilities. WE have to build these new libraries or we will be missing out all the great benefits that come with them. More immediate gradification in society that we may not need. Anybody heard of getting by on less, and improving what you already have?

We are now building libraries because other towns have bigger, cooler, brighter, greater accessible, facilities. We are creating monuments that may not be used in the future. The "rule of thumb", in determining whether a library is needed, is not a proper determinant. Survey the daily use of the libraries. Who uses the library? Do students, do seniors, do homemakers, do small children? All of these different classifications of people could be broken out, to give a better idea on who uses the library.

The statistics for library use are clear to anyone interested in hearing them. The Des Plaines Valley Public Library District loaned 221,282 items in 2001. In 2007, the same library district loaned 361,914. Jim G asks "Who uses the library? Do students, do seniors, do homemakers, do small children?" The answer to that question is all of the above! We serve every segment of society, every demographic, every income level, every ethnicity, every age. The notion that we only exist to serve one age group or "type" of customer is absurd. On any given day, well over half the visitors to our facilities are adults, yet large groups of children attend programs as well. Another misconception stated in this thread is that our libraries are empty and unused. Today, as I typed this message, we did not have any special programs or other unusual events going on that would attract unusual attendance. Yet when I got up and walked around both floors of our Lockport Branch, I noted 27 members of the public taking advantage of their library. Ten of those people were using computers, several were browsing the book stacks, some were reading and/or studying, and three children were playing a game. As far as ages are concerned, there was a good mix of ages ranging from about 5 years old to about 75 years old. This level of usage is normal for us on a quiet weekday morning. Later in the day and on weekends, these numbers will be even higher!
As for who pays for what, the plan we are proposing will insure that Romeoville residents' tax dollars will be funding a new library in Romeoville, Lockport taxes will be funding a new library in Lockport, and Crest Hill taxes will be funding a new library in Crest Hill. Bottom line, our plan is simple and fair.

Mr. Pointon, How can you tell the residents north of 135th in Romeoville that the plan is fair? We have been serviced by Fountaindale for many years without a problem. They have passed a referendum to build a new Library in Bolingbrook, so what is the difference between their plan and yours? Instead of paying for one new library in Bolingbrook, I will end up contributing to 3 new libraries. One in Romeoville, which by the way should have been thought of many years ago, and then 2 more that are out of town. So, it is fair to pay for 2 out of town libraries instead of one? How is that? You want to have the residents north of 135th vote for a referendum but not vote whether or not to even change districts? We have no choice in the switch? and then you would like my vote for a referendum? I don't think so. Many many many years have gone by while Romeoville residents have been serviced by fountaindale because you could not service them. Students at Irene King were treated the same as those from R C HIll. Now you want to come in and just take what you have ignored for years? I will walk every door in every neighborhood north of 135th and maybe even south of 135th to get out the vote and VOTE NO! As for the funding of each library by the town that it is in, that is a bunch of nonsense. The Desplaines Library District is a single taxing body that will collect the entire tax amount levied. Then your board can spend the money as they budget and see fit wihtout any regard to the village portion of the taxes collected. There is no way to split the bill except by each individual property tax payer paying his share into the taxing body. Why don't you just let the residents south of 135th go into Fountaindale where they have been serviced and not ignored for so many years. The tax bill MUST be divided equally among the amount of taxpayers that exist within the library district. You can not tell me that the amount to build the Romeoville library will cause one tax rate for Romeoville residents, and the cost of the Lockport, and Crest Hill may cause another tax rate for their residents. That is an outright LIE! It just doesn't work that way.

Dear Angry,

I understand your feelings, but many of the things you are saying are simply untrue. The difference between the Fountaindale plan and ours is that they have passed a referendum to give their Romeoville facility a $5 million spruce-up and build one very large library in Bolingbrook which will cost $43.5 million to construct. The total bill there is $48.5 million and Romeoville gets very little in comparison to Bolingbrook. Our plan is to build 3 equally sized new facilities for $40.9 million total. Naturally, one of these brand new libraries would come to Romeoville. As for operating rates, if you live in Romeoville north of 135th St you are currently paying a library operating tax of over 28 cents. If the transfer happens, your rate will go down to 12.3 cents. We will then ask you to raise it up to 25.7 cents in November. So, no matter what way you slice it, you pay less and get more.

Angry about library wrote:

Mr. Pointon, How can you tell the residents north of 135th in Romeoville that the plan is fair? We have been serviced by Fountaindale for many years without a problem. They have passed a referendum to build a new Library in Bolingbrook, so what is the difference between their plan and yours? Instead of paying for one new library in Bolingbrook, I will end up contributing to 3 new libraries. One in Romeoville, which by the way should have been thought of many years ago, and then 2 more that are out of town. So, it is fair to pay for 2 out of town libraries instead of one? How is that? You want to have the residents north of 135th vote for a referendum but not vote whether or not to even change districts? We have no choice in the switch? and then you would like my vote for a referendum? I don't think so. Many many many years have gone by while Romeoville residents have been serviced by fountaindale because you could not service them. Students at Irene King were treated the same as those from R C HIll. Now you want to come in and just take what you have ignored for years? I will walk every door in every neighborhood north of 135th and maybe even south of 135th to get out the vote and VOTE NO! As for the funding of each library by the town that it is in, that is a bunch of nonsense. The Desplaines Library District is a single taxing body that will collect the entire tax amount levied. Then your board can spend the money as they budget and see fit wihtout any regard to the village portion of the taxes collected. There is no way to split the bill except by each individual property tax payer paying his share into the taxing body. Why don't you just let the residents south of 135th go into Fountaindale where they have been serviced and not ignored for so many years. The tax bill MUST be divided equally among the amount of taxpayers that exist within the library district. You can not tell me that the amount to build the Romeoville library will cause one tax rate for Romeoville residents, and the cost of the Lockport, and Crest Hill may cause another tax rate for their residents. That is an outright LIE! It just doesn't work that way.

Mr. Angry person in library,

You come my house south of 135th and you wrestle with the Renwick Alligator and the people make cash to us. We make the cash for library in your back yard and make happy to you. You will be like hero to all the peoples in land of Romeoville.

Mr. Pointon spends much time monitoring blogs and bulletin boards. Isn't there a rule against campaigning when you work for the government?

Who owns the land on Bruce road?

As a paid employee of the District, it is true that I cannot campaign (i.e. tell you to vote yes). The law provides for me to give factual information only, which is why I limit myself to doing just that. As for having the time to monitor these blogs, I most certainly do not have that time, and I do not sit around waiting for the next message to appear. Each time someone posts an inaccuracy or a half truth, I get contacted by one or more library supporters asking me to log in and share the facts. If it were not for them, I wouldn't even know this blog existed...

Oh, and I forgot to mention that we are not just looking at a single property on Bruce Road. There are several lots under consideration. None of our Board members are financially connected with any property we are looking at.

I did not mean to imply that any library trustee was financially connected. I just asked who owns the land under consideration.