THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED ON SEPTEMBER 12TH AT 8:11AM.
SINCE THEN, WE HAVE THIS RESPONSE:
UPDATE:
Sunday, September 12th , 5pm
Emmett O’Connell, one of the seven trustees on the TRL Board of Directors had this to say on his own blog:
– “One thought on the Yelm Library situation (not really any more regional than other libraries)”
CLICK HERE
– “How the history of Timberland (and rural libraries systems across Washington) impact the situation in Yelm”
CLICK HERE
– “The Yelm Library Capital Facility Area (what it could be)”
CLICK HERE
YELM BLOG ENTRY:
The front-page story this week in the Nisqually Valley News by Melanie Lockhart was shocking with comments by Mayor Harding and TRL interim-Yelm Librarian & City Council member McGowan portraying Timberland Regional Library (TRL) being the cause of the uncertainty in the library’s future here.
Quoting from the report,
“Yelm City Councilman Mike McGowan, who is also acting as the interim Yelm Library manager following the transfer of Mike Wessells, said expecting financial responsibility to be in Yelms hands alone is absurd.
‘Two parties have fought over whose responsibility and whose buck it is,’ McGowan said.
‘I think it is an issue that is bigger than Yelm.’
He said the library isnt just a city resource, but a regional one that serves far more people than Yelms taxpayers…”
THERE HAS BEEN NO FIGHT OVER WHO SHARES RESPONSIBILITIES.
HOW CAN MR. MCGOWAN SERVE THREE MASTERS?
– WITH HIS PAYCHECK COMING FROM TRL
– WITH HIS CITY COUNCIL POSITION.
– WITH HIS LIBRARY MANAGERIAL POSITION TO REPRESENT ALL LIBRARY PATRONS & TAXPAYERS – EVEN THOSE OUTSIDE OF YELM’S CITY LIMITS.
HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO SAY THESE THINGS, WHICH SHOWS HIS IGNORANCE. THIS MAN IGNORES THE HISTORY OF TRL’S ASSOCIATION WITH YELM AND HOW THE LEASE TO USE MARGARET CLAPP’S BUILDING WAS CREATED AS A TEMPORARY MEASURE ALMOST A DECADE AGO.
YET, HE WAS ON-DUTY AT THE SMALL LIBRARY FACILITY AT CITY HALL & WAS PASSIONATE THEN ABOUT BEING IN A LARGER SPACE WHILE A NEW BUILDING WAS SOUGHT.
MY, HOW QUICKLY HE FORGETS!
MCGOWAN’S BOSS, TRL DIRECTOR MICHAEL CROSE MADE VERY CLEAR IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THIS BLOG THAT YELM & TRL SIGNED A 10-YEAR AGREEMENT IN 2001. THE CITY HAS AGREED TO, KNOWN ABOUT AND BEEN TOLD THAT TRL EXPECTS YELM TO FULFILL THEIR PROMISE TO SUPPLY A PUBLIC BUILDING AT THE END OF 2011, JUST AS TRL HAS FULFILLED THEIR WORD FOR THE 10 YEARS PAYING FOR FACILITY PREPARATIONS & A LARGER SHARE OF THE RENT IN A PRIVATE FACILITY.
“Harding elaborated on the fact the city initially entered into the partnership with Timberland under the assumption it would primarily be a city resource.
But once the library moved into its current facility, it expanded into a regional resource.
‘I dont think we would have entered into that contract all those years ago if we had known,’ McGowan said..”
THE CITY ENTERED INTO AN AGREEMENT IN FULL AWARENESS OF WHAT THEY WERE DOING AND THAT THIS LIBRARY SERVED PATRONS FROM OUTSIDE OF THE CITY LIMITS. MAYOR HARDING CAME ONTO THE YELM CITY COUNCIL IN 2001, THE SAME YEAR THE CITY SIGNED THE AGREEMENT WITH TRL. HE HAD NO ISSUE THEN WITH THE TRL AGREEMENT.
AT NO TIME HAS MR. HARDING *EVER* VOICED ANY ISSUE WITH THE TRL AGREEMENT UNTIL NOW:
– NOT WHEN THE LIBRARY’S FUTURE WAS RAISED 5 YEARS AGO
– NOT WHEN I WAS ON THE YELM LIBRARY BOARD AND BROUGHT THIS UP TWO YEARS AGO
– NOT AT THE MAYOR’S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS IN FEBRUARY
– NOT WHEN TRL’S BOARD VOTED LAST SPRING NONE OF MR. HARDING’S PROPOSALS FOR TRL TO CONTINUE PAYING FOR A SHARE OF RENT IN A PRIVATE BUILDING WAS ACCEPTABLE.
THE MAYOR MISCALCULATED AND RELIED ON TRL “COUGHING-UP” DOUGH AFTER 2011 IN A CONTINUED JOINT SHARING OF RENT. SO NOW HE BLAMES TRL?
OH, AND IF MR. MCGOWAN WOULD DO HIS HOMEWORK AND SPEAK TO HIS OWN BOSS ON THE ISSUE, HE WOULD FIND THE CITY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE SIGNING IN 2001.
“Any potential grants the city may apply for likely wouldnt go to extending that lease, but instead constructing or remodelling (sic) a new facility…
Harding said he did bring the issue to the Thurston County Commissioners.
‘They dont have funds in their budget and they dont look at it as their responsibility,’ Harding said…
Harding said the county has an annexation agreement with Yelm that says the city will provide any library services…
Harding added that he wonders why the responsibility for a regional library lies in Yelms hands and not Rainiers, Teninos or any other citys hands.”
SO WE NOW HAVE MAYOR HARDING FINALLY ADMITTING WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG – ANY GRANTS FOR WHICH THE CITY WOULD APPLY WOULD GO FOR NEW BUILDINGS.
EXCEPT THE CITY APPLIED FOR A GRANT FOR A NEW BUILDING TO HOUSE FLUSHING PARK TOILETS. SINCE THEY DID THAT RECENTLY, GOING BACK “HAT-IN-HAND” TO ASK FOR ANOTHER GRANT FOR A NEW BUILDING IS TOO SOON, ESPECIALLY IN THIS ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT.
YES, PARK TOILETS GRANT FUNDING & A PUBLIC LIBRARY GRANT FUNDING **ARE** CONNECTED.
OH, AND TO Belinda and Larry Barkan WHO WROTE A LETTER TO THE NVN EDITOR
Friday, August 20, 2010 ASKING,
“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.”
NOW YOU KNOW! YES, THEY FLUSHED THAT OPPORTUNITY ON PARK TOILETS!
OH AND WHY A LARGER REGIONAL LIBRARY IN YELM? SIMPLE –
YELM IS THE LARGEST CITY AND SERVES A GREATER GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT (FROM WHICH LIBRARY TAXES ARE COLLECTED) THAN EITHER RAINIER OR TENINO.
AND, THE COUNTY SAYS THE CITY HAS AN ANNEXATION AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE A REGIONAL LIBRARY. DOES THIS CITY NOT HONOR THEIR CONTRACTS?
“He said the regional library is a great resource, but he recognizes that if Yelms taxpayers are going to bear the sole responsibility, then the city may need to put its residents needs first.
‘We just need to make sure that were balancing it so Yelm residents arent paying more than expected for services.’
EXCUSE ME, MR MAYOR! PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE YELM LIBRARY DISTRICT OUTSIDE OF THE CITY PUT IN WAY MORE DOLLARS FOR THE YELM LIBRARY THAN YOUR CONSTITUENTS IN THE CITY’S LIMITS. WHY WOULD YOU EXCLUDE THEM? THESE PEOPLE PAY FOR TRL TO PROVIDE STAFF (YOUR COUNCIL COLLEAGUE MR. MCGOWAN’S SALARY, AS AN EXAMPLE), BOOKS, RESOURCES, COMPUTERS, ETC.
THE CITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN RESPONSIBLE TO PROVIDE A PUBLIC LIBRARY BUILDING SINCE YELM JOINED TRL.
YOUR COMMENT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.
This was pure “damage control” – put the blame on someone else for your lack of action & directness to the community for all of these years.
Some see through all of this smoke & mirrors!
Expect more of this subterfuge.
I HOPE THE COMMUNITY RISES UP TO THESE CONTINUED DISTORTIONS & ASK FOR THE TRUTH!
AND NEVER YET HAS THE NVN QUOTED ANY TRL OFFICIAL IN ALL OF THESE STORIES. HMMM!
The way things are going with blaming TRL with inaccuracies for the Yelm Library’s future coming from the Nisqually Valley News Editor/Publisher Graves’ comment, Mayor Harding’s public statements, former NVN reporter & city spokeswoman Cindy Teixeira’s accusations in her letters to the editor & Yelm’s own TRL interim Librarian McGowan’s ridiculous remarks, you think we might get TRL to be held responsible for the whole truckload of the Kennedy assassination?
UPDATE:
Sunday, September 12th , 5pm
Emmett O’Connell, one of the seven trustees on the TRL Board of Directors had this to say on his own blog:
– “One thought on the Yelm Library situation (not really any more regional than other libraries)”
CLICK HERE
– “How the history of Timberland (and rural libraries systems across Washington) impact the situation in Yelm”
CLICK HERE
– “The Yelm Library Capital Facility Area (what it could be)”
CLICK HERE
Post a comment
One comment
No one is questioning Mr. McGowan’s commitment to the community, Ann.
This is no personal attack, either.
What has been raised are Mike’s comments to the newspaper where he “said expecting financial responsibility to be in Yelms hands alone is ‘absurd’.
‘Two parties have fought over whose responsibility and whose buck it is,’ McGowan said.”
These statements are not correct & misleading to the public, especially coming from the interim Yelm TRL Manager & a City Council member.
The City of Yelm signed a contract in 2001 with TRL and there was NO fight “over whose responsibility and whose buck it is.”
“Expecting financial responsibility to be in Yelms hands alone is ‘absurd’ is a ridiculous comment in light of the contractual responsibility Yelm officials accepted in 2001 and all have known about in the years since, yet did nothing to change, if they DID have an issue, including Mr. McGowan.
That you take my comments as a “personal attack against Mike” instead of seeing how his remarks are at odds with the facts clearly demonstrates you and others want to use a smoke screen in keeping proper information from the public.
That, Ann, is sad.
The comments are closed.