Yelm Timberland Regional Library
Photo courtesy of Guustaaf Damave

The following letter was sent to the Nisqually Valley News for publication in their July 11, edition.

Dear Editor,

In the April 4th edition of the Nisqually Valley News, you penned an editorial titled “It’s not too early to plan for Yelm library’s future” where you stated, “It may be a wee bit early to sound the alarms, but it is a good idea for the city of Yelm to start thinking about the future of the Yelm Timberland Library.” Your editorial was in response to the March 25th presentation to the Mayor and Yelm City Council by the Yelm Library Board and echoed strongly by Timberland’s Michael Crose about the urgency needed to acquire land, plan, fund and open a new library in 4 years… [I read that letter to the Council in my capacity as the then-Yelm Timberland Board Chair (I have since resigned from the Board). An ad with the text was purchased in your newspaper for the public to read unabridged.]

The Yelm Library’s lease exemption to rent in the current privately-owned facility runs out in December, 2011, when Timberland requires Yelm’s public library to be in a pubic facility.

Last week, we learned that Timberland Libraries has a $1.9 million deficit and is considering cutting services or going to property owners for the first time in 40 years for a levy lid increase. This will be in addition to whatever is coming down the pike to Yelm area property owners requesting funding for a new facility here. We have heard nothing from Mayor Harding, the City Council or Timberland on how a new Yelm Library is to be financed, nor a timeline towards construction.
Is there some anonymous donor coming through with some multi-million donation to fund land and such a facility?

If not, then city and library officials need to let area residents know their plans for a library’s future here and soon.

If a library is even opened here, will it be with a reduced staff, reduced hours and a reduced amount of new materials?
A wee bit early to sound the alarms has now turned into an alarming situation!

Stephen R. Klein
Yelm, WA.

IS YELM GOING TO HAVE A LIBRARY AFTER 2012?

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

THERE CERTAINLY HAS BEEN SILENCE FROM CITY OFFICIALS AND THE PUBLIC ON THIS ISSUE

LET’S PUT ON OUR THINKING CAPS?

WILL YELM AREA PROPERTY OWNERS AGREE TO FUND A NEW LIBRARY,
ADD A NEW LIBRARY LEVY
AND
VOTE FOR FIRE AND SCHOOL LEVIES ???