Community members who spoke with Xpress say they are relieved that the Swannanoa Library has been saved from the chopping block for now. But many questions still remain about its future as well as who will be involved in the decision-making process moving forward.
“Decisions this consequential must be debated in public, with all the stakeholders involved — especially county residents, who, let’s remember, sit at the top of the county’s organizational chart. That’s not what happened here.”
“Our Swannanoa Library is a place where our children and many other children have discovered the joy of learning.”
The Swannanoa Library will remain open after an unexpected vote by Buncombe County commissioners on March 7 that reversed a previous decision to close the library branch.
In a unanimous vote, the county Board of Commissioners directed staff to maintain the county’s current library branches — including those in Black Mountain, Oakley/South Asheville and Swannanoa — and explore other ways to improve the system.
“Oakley, Swannanoa and Black Mountain would be diminished by the disappearance of these public places — a refuge for many of us.”
“Our community deserves all that the others have. It is up to each of us to embrace the future, even if it means change.”
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