I am puzzled as to why many of the people of Enumclaw want to keep our library local.
I have read letters to the editor claiming that all that is needed is a bake sale, or pass the hat and collect $10 per family. Some are saying that we have to save our local library by not letting it be annexed into the King County system; almost as if this meant it would be bulldozed down and that nothing would take its place. Some people claim that all you have to do to access the King County Library System is drop your books into the local library and they will be returned. I tested this premise and now I have a week’s fine of 70 cents on a book that sat around before it made it back. However, the fine of 10 cents per day at King County was much better than the dollar per day fine for a DVD that our local library charges. For a dollar a day rental, try Red Box, at least it’s a new DVD.
When people claim that there is no advantage to joining the King County system, I would like to invite them to go visit the new Covington, Maple Valley or Black Diamond libraries, not to mention the expansion on the now new, new Federal Way library. Can you imagine the major improvements that would occur here if King County would use those tax dollars (from we who are who just outside Enumclaw have been sending in all along) to renovate, expand or simply build a new and larger library just like those others?
Wake up people. Those of us not in the city are paying 3.1 percent for library service in our property taxes. The trouble is, it’s been spent elsewhere and not for more new computers for our students, not for a wider selection of periodicals and books for our book clubs and readers, but improvements in every part of the county but Enumclaw. It seems a tragedy that my wife has to drive to Black Diamond every time her book club meets, because the King County system can handle the check out demand for that many books of identical title. Meanwhile, Enumclaw would require you to go elsewhere to get the books, so why bother?
Fortunately, for the last 18 years while I worked in Snoqualmie Valley, I passed by four King County libraries a day. I could have what I wanted at my fingertips from the largest public library system in the world. Basically, this allowed me to ignore the problem of our local library, as I found it of not much use. It didn’t irritate me as it does now that I am retired. It seems that everyone should wish to have “local” access to the vast collections of the King County system, access to e-books you can read on your Kindle or I-pad, access to educational DVDs, books to listen to while driving and to self help books and magazines. Why not, especially when those of us beyond the city limits are all paying for it with King County taxes anyway?
I just don’t get it. Is it just the fear of adding 50 cents per $1,000 on your assessed evaluation, or some kind of hope that if you don’t build a better system that you can hold back time? If the citizens of Enumclaw choose to improve their library by local taxation, then what have they gained over sending the taxes to King County? However, if funding is not provided, then our library will continue to wither and become even more irrelevant.
Eugene Clegg
Enumclaw
