Yelm Timberland Regional Library
Photo courtesy of Guustaaf Damave

Letter writers to the Nisqually Valley News (NVN) Belinda and Larry Barkan of Yelm wrote had their letter published August 20, 2010 titled: “Hopefully the city didn’t flush away funding”

“Is it true that our city leaders could have asked for a grant to keep our present library open or to build a new library building?

If they instead chose to ask for a grant for toilets in the park plus kicked in millions of our dollars, they have some explaining to do…

Please, city leaders, show us that you have not flushed our great library down the toilet.”

Someone here FINALLY got the message and had the courage to say that if the Longmire Park flush toilets were the city’s priority, where did that leave the future of the library in the city’s mind?

And, we have former Nisqually Valley News reporter, most recent City of Yelm Community and Government Relations Coordinator (laid off in 2009) & Friends of the Yelm Library official Cindy Teixeira spouting-off in this week’s newspaper all sorts of things that do not correlate with the facts.

Instead of Teixeira segregating people on the Library issue, she should have the vision to see everyone wants a good library here.

However, Mrs. Teixeria’s attitude shows us why we don’t have a public library building here.
If she is with Friends of the Library and saying these things, I would not like to see the “Enemies of the Library”!

Mrs. Teixeira’s wrote in her Letter to the Editor to the NVN this week:
“Timberland’s situation with the Yelm library in a rented space is not such a big deal. Timberland says the agency is not in the business of providing facilities and yet about one-third of the libraries in the 27 library system are in fact owned by Timberland or are in a configuration not in keeping with the agency’s ancient policy.
In other words, Yelm is not the only exception to their rules:
there are so many exceptions the rules are irrelevant.
It is time for Timberland’s board of directors to scrap a 50-year-old policy that does not apply to today’s economic circumstances.
It is time for the City of Yelm to make the library a top-shelf issue. Both agencies need to step pout of their own way and let us get to work.”

In response to Mrs. Teixeira’s unfounded assertions,
TRL Director Michael Crose told the Yelm Community Blog on August 20th all TRL libraries in incorporated cities and towns are in public buildings except Montesano (which was donated & that city now owns) & Yelm’s current facility in leased space.
Crose said, “Not surprising considering that our mandate is to assure that residents in those areas receive quality library service.”
Crose continued, “Timberland DOES own or lease several buildings in un-incorporated areas of the five-counties” (totaling 7 of the 27 libraries) & these are very small libraries.

I do agree with Teixeria on this: “It is time for the City of Yelm to make the library a top-shelf issue.”
For a public library in Yelm, the city must take command to acquire that space. This is their responsibility.
Unless the public wants to have one in unincorporated Thurston County & leave the city out.

The time for the city to have made this a priority was 5 or 10 years ago, was it not?
And, where WAS the Friends of the Library then?
Their silence all these years on the future of a public library building here has been baffling to me.

Mrs. Teixeira attended and said nothing then about the March 25, 2008 Yelm Library Board’s annual report to the Yelm City Council raising the “red-flag” on the library’s future.
HMMM!

Cindy, are we all going to reach out and stand together on this
or
be divided?
I reach my hand out to you.
Will you take mine for the greater good of our community in our desire for a wonderful library
or not & remain divided?

“UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL”