The White Center and Boulevard Park libraries once again received a reprieve from closure after King County Library System trustees voted Nov. 29 to postpone action on a staff recommendation to consolidate the two libraries into one facility near Southwest 128th Street in Burien.
The consolidation appeared to be a “done deal,” as some previous speakers characterized it, after two of the five trustees spoke in favor of the recommendation. Trustee Lucy Krakowiak, also a Burien city councilwoman, recuses herself from library system decisions affecting Burien because of her dual role.
However, trustee Rob Spitzner noted that officials from the King County Executive’s office, the county council and the city of Burien had requested the library board delay its decision until the possible annexation of White Center becomes clarified.
Spitzner moved that the decision be postponed until after the state Boundary Review Board rules on Burien’s request to annex the unincorporated North Highline area.
The boundary board is holding public hearings on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10 with their decision expected in February. Burien City Councilwoman Rose Clark told library board members, North Highline residents could vote on annexation in August.
White Center Library Guild president Rachael Levine, who has spearheaded anti-consolidation efforts, said she was “very pleased” with the postponement.
“It was one more little victory for the community,” Levine said. “It was advisable both politically and for the people.
However, Burien City Councilman Jack Block expressed disappointment.
“It is time for the King County Library System to do the right thing for White Center and Boulevard Park by building the facilities they committed to,” Block declared.
He suggested the library board should come under the supervision of the King County Council.
Several speakers said they worked hard to pass a library bond in 2004 with the understanding funds would be used to build a new White Center Library at its present location at 11220 16th Ave. S.W. and substantially remodel the Boulevard Park Library at 12015 Roseberg Av. S. With the 2007 annexation of the southern portion of North Highline, both libraries are within Burien’s city limits.
A larger library also shares space with Burien City Hall at 400 S.W. 152nd. Only Bellevue with a population of 122,00 has more libraries within the county library system.
Currently, Burien has one library per 16,000 people. With consolidation to two large libraries, Burien would have one library per 24,000 people. The county average is approximately one library per 36,000 residents.
Library system staffers argued that there have been five major changes since 2007 that make the previous construction plans impractical.
They said the Burien Library at city hall is much larger and has become a designation library, population in the White Center and Boulevard Park areas have not grown as projected, annexation issues have not been resolved, the library system has greatly expanded its outreach efforts and the system’s operational budget has been greatly restrained.
A large crowd of advocates for the two small libraries made the trek to the library system’s Issaquah service center for the 5 p.m. meeting and made public comments for almost 2 ½ hours.
They argued the two libraries serve low-income, diverse neighborhoods where many residents don’t have cars to drive to a “luxury library.”
They noted students at nearby schools could walk to the libraries. Many of the students do not have computers at home, they noted.
Joey Martinez, a former Burien council candidate, told board members he grew up in a poor Los Angeles neighborhood where the kids were either “gangbangers” or “those of us who hung out at the library.”
He added that libraries are important to kids in poor neighborhoods trying to make a future life for themselves.
Burien City Councilman Jerry Robison said the board would be shutting down two libraries serving two distinct neighborhoods and building a new facility outside the communities.
King County Councilman Joe McDermott told board members, “I implore you not to vote (for the consolidation) tonight. It wouldn’t serve my constituents.”
Burien City Councilwoman Rose Clark read a letter approved by the council the night before saying the lawmakers were “surprised and disappointed” that the board was considering consolidation again.
She said Burien has moved ahead on annexation and the issue should be resolved soon. If Burien does not annex White Center, the council pledged to work with the board on a solution.
Levine addressed each individual board member with specific reasons why they shouldn’t vote for consolidation.
However, library system director Bill Ptacek said a new larger library around S.W. 128th Street between Ambaum Boulevard S.W. and First Avenue South would better serve the area and be cheaper to operate. He added the new library would be open on Sundays, unlike the two smaller facilities.
Ptacek said the board should take advantage of the current cheaper construction costs by building soon.
Board member Jessica Bonebright noted the board has been waiting for several years for annexation to be settled.
She noted a library system survey of area residents found 53 percent strongly favored closing the two libraries and building a new larger one.
Bonebright said the new library would be built in a high-density area with a new set of residents able to walk to it.
Board president Richard Eadie said the system does not want to spend a lot of money at the White Center site, which is near the Seattle city limits. He noted the county library system had been unable to work out a deal with the Seattle library system to compensate for Seattle residents who use county libraries.
