Yelm Timberland Regional Library

Yelm Mayor Ron Harding’s May 20th column in the Nisqually Valley News raised several “red flags”. While I am thrilled that a decision about Yelm’s library future was reached, some key questions now have arisen.

To quote the Mayor on May 20th:
“In the wake of the current economy, discussions even ventured to whether we would be able to afford a library, much lees one as nice as the current location…

“We have a long way to go before the deal is finalized. We will need to enter into an agreement to purchase the building under the proposed terms with the landowner, enter into a supporting agreement with Timberland. develop a condo agreement for the current site, and of course fund the purchase of the building itself.”

These facts highlight several issues on the immediate horizon:
1. Harding is on the record saying the city could only afford $600,000 to purchase the current facility, splitting the then $1.2 cost with Timberland Regional Libraries (TRL) being the only way to maintain the current level of service.

2. Mayor Harding said in his February 8th State of the City address to the Yelm Chamber of Commerce that outside financing will be required to purchase the current 2nd floor facility.

3. Harding’s proposal to split the library condo cost with TRL was presented in writing, as required in advance, to the TRL Board before their April 27th meeting. Emmett O’Connell, Trustee, Thurston County for TRL stated in a letter April 26th:
“Unless something changes about the current proposal, I will vote against it. I can’t speak for the rest of the board, but I don’t expect the proposal will be successful.”

4. Then on April 27th, Harding tells the TRL Board, without an advance document for the Board’s review, the city will alone purchase the current location for $1 million, after the owner lowered the price by $200,000.
Harding said he did NOT consult his own city council prior to announcing the $1m city-purchase offer, according to TRL’s Draft Minutes of the April 27th Board Meeting.
Harding said he was certain the council would go along.
REALLY? How does he know that? Are they all just “YES MEN”?
Can the mayor make such kind of major decision on his own, without consulting the public, his staff or his own city council?

Now, here is the key question which the taxpaying public has not been informed and deserves answers:
– If the City of Yelm is going to finance the library purchase via municipal bonds,
DOES THE CITY OF YELM HAVE THE CAPACITY TO FLOAT A MILLION DOLLAR BOND?
– If so, at what cost (interest expense) for the 20 year period of the note?
– The city currently has many financial commitments and the public has a right to know the city’s bonding capability!

– Kevin Brekke wrote this last week in the Casey Report:
“The Fitch report also raises concerns about the ability of a growing number of cities to repay their bonds and maintain access to credit markets at affordable rates should states continue to cut aid to cities. The pressure on the municipal bond market is likely to increase as a result. This is another area we continue to monitor.”
From Casey Research, LLC.

On April 20, 2011, Harding wrote this in a letter to TRL Board member Emmett O’Donnell:
“At the end of the day, residents should not be concerned that they might be forced to pay too much for library services or that we will lose our library altogether, because the City Council and I will not allow that to happen.

– The issue of e-books is a hot item right now and with more electronic media coming into our libraries nationwide, will we really need as large a space in the future when printed-book shelving requirements may decrease?
Read more from change.org.

– Charles Simic wrote this valuable op-ed in The New York Review of Books – “A Country Without Libraries”
Read more
Will Mayor Haring come back and tell us the city can not afford the cost of this library space?

– If the city cannot finance the purchase of the library, would Mayor Harding go the route of other cities in such circumstances and privatize Yelm’s facility?
Let’s hope not!
David Morris, Vice President of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, based in Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., wrote this insightful piece on this very issue published by On the Commons.
Read more

STAY TUNED!
AFTER ALL, IF THE MAYOR DOES NOT EVEN CONSULT HIS OWN CITY COUNCIL OR STAFF FOR SUCH A HUGE PURCHASE, WHAT ELSE DO WE, THE PUBLIC, NOT KNOW?
WE ARE ALL GOING TO HAVE TO BE AWARE OF HOW THIS PROGRESSES AND ASK QUESTIONS…

DID THE CITY PAY TOO MUCH FOR CLAPP’S CONDO?

A caisson entering Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington, DC
Photo from Arlington National Cemetery website,
Courtesy of Andrew V. McMaster, May 2006

Dear Readers;

As we celebrate the unofficial start of the summer vacation season this weekend, our community grieves this year from these announcements:
– From the Associated Press Yelm Soldier killed in Iraq:
“The Defense Department says a 37-year-old soldier from Medical Lake, Wash.,…Sergeant First Class Clifford E. Beattie died Sunday [May 22] in Iraq…
Beattie was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division, based in Fort Riley, Kan…
According to KXLY in Spokane, Beattie was married and has two children who live in Yelm, Wash.”

– From Hal Bernton of the Seattle Times:
“Even after a year, and more than a half-dozen memorial services, Barbie Coleman often feels like her husband is still alive. She pictures him returning to their house east of Yelm, Thurston County, telling fresh tales of life with his Special Forces team like he had so many times before…
Master Sgt. Mark Coleman died May 2, 2010, at age 40. The leader of a 12-man team, Coleman in his last minutes of life ordered younger soldiers back to a safe distance as he located a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan…”

– From the Tacoma News Tribune:
” Sgt. Sean M. Collins, 25, was killed in Afghanistan on Dec. 12, 2010. The 2004 Yelm High School graduate, who wanted to be in the Army since he was a toddler, was buried at Tahoma National Cemetery near Kent. He is survived by mother Linda Collins, father Patrick Collins, brother Travis, and sisters Deidre and Caitlin.”

This weekend is our Memorial Day holiday when America pauses to honor those that have given their lives in service to their country. The Yelm Community Blog host & Kleiners Korner editor/publisher appreciates and honors all of those who have served to defend, protect, and preserve our country from outside invaders. Memorial Day was first called Decoration Day to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it expanded to include those who died in any war or military action, quoting Wikipedia.

There was a Memorial Day service yesterday at Yelm Cemetery, according to the News Tribune.

The wars have left their mark on this area, as we are reminded of Rainier’s Justin Norton:

Rainier’s fallen son, Justin Norton

Justin Norton Scholarship Fund
honoring Rainier, Washington’s fallen soldier in Iraq.
About Sgt. Norton

Donations can be mailed to:
Justin Norton Scholarship Fund
c/o Yelm Area Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 444
Yelm, Wa 98597

And last:
These videos are very touching this holiday, as well:
– “VJ Day, Honolulu Hawaii, August 14, 1945”
Amazing video footage:
CLICK HERE

– See this fabulous slide show “Women in Uniform” from 1778 – today.
From TODAY on NBC.

KOMO-TV 4 News in Seattle reported:

The Yelm Future Farmers of America Chapter won first place at the state competition held earlier this month in Pullman and will advance to nationals again this year.

Yelm was was the Model of Innovation winner in the community development category at the national convention in 2010.

Individuals earning national berths to this summers convention include:

Farrah French for winning 1st in Job Interview
Nick Frederickson for winning Gold in Swine Production Entrepreneurship (also State Winner in Agri. Business)
Rachel Neuharth for winning Gold in Home and Community Development Placement
Sheridan Lantz for Agriculture Science Fair Project

Visit the school districts website to view a complete list of state award winners.

Last night was the opening performance at Rainier High School of this weekend’s StageStruck Players, the youth division of Standing Room Only Theater Company, presenting “an original musical pastiche, a parody of the American Idol TV show”.
The show is titled American Idle with this media announcement listing the theme:

“A group of “Glee”ful musically oriented teens, who have nothing to do for the summer, band together to win first prize in a new TV reality show starring Betty White (played by the incomparable Ruthanne Chadwick). All they need to succeed in their quest is to create ten entertaining musical numbers that demonstrate an astute knowledge of American geography…….. in just four days!”

With a production directed by Nancy Hillman and musical accompaniment by Stephen Borsuk who flew in from New York, this show was certain to cast a group of committed Rainier teens in bringing out their talents, and no one left disappointed.

Featuring Ivan Dixon, Michael Schrier, Kayla Geist, Eric Delorme (as Maurice Chevalier), Vera Welch, Brandy Rhodes, Bethany Henkes, Ricky McCann, Hannah Longshore, Kieran Keeslar and “special guest star” 5-yr-old Livvy Coverdale, the audience was mesmerized and thrilled by these teens and Coverdale, all who belted out familiar and unfamiliar hits that had everyone in the audience providing resounding applause at the end of every act.

While I had thought the absolutely precious 5-year old Livvy Coverdale’s anticipated performance of The Music Man’s Gary Indiana would steal the show, the strong displays by the rest of the cast and their obvious acceptance of this little actress as one of their own, did not distract from the other actors or the show. Admittedly, while Coverdale’s rendition of the song, originally performed by Ron Howard in the 1962 movie, was as touching and equally animated, she delivered the song with a great depth of understanding, especially considering Ron Howard performed the number at age 8, which was an amazing feat for him as we watched this 5 year-old’s flawless delivery.

There were several notable observations –
– Nancy Hillman – with a sweet opening description of her journey with this show, acknowledging parents of teens and the teens themselves in the world we have today, so challenging for all of them.
Several grandparents were in the audience, too.
– The cast – an amazing array of talent that belted out songs that could be easily understood, with the simplest of props, lighting (provided by Dr. Brian Keay) and all without microphones. The cast camaraderie was particularly noticeable. I consider a show really great when the audience loses viewing the individual actors and is whisked into another state of mind. I got the sense I was viewing the Von Trapp family singers working together as a family, as I watched this cast choreograph every scene.
– Vera Welch & Kayla Geist’s song and dance of OHIO was especially well-done.
– One of the highlights of the show for me was a piece titled BIG D, sung by Vera Welch and Ricky McCann. With a tongue-twister of a song, these two danced and delivered this piece as if performing for years. McCann has a sincerity in his performances that lends authenticity and appeal to the acts in which he participated. His manner reminded me of Gene Nelson’s character Will Parker in the movie version of Oklahoma singing Kansas City.
– Moving here from San Francisco 23 years ago, I could relate to Hannah Longshore’s and the girls’ Grant Avenue, a song about that city’s China Town, which also effectively included Coverdale.
– Kieran Keeslar opened the show and provided back-up support and cameos that had all laughing. Keeslar’s mother Robin was House Manager and his uncle Joe’s JK Autoworks a program sponsor.
– The audience really got into the familiar beats of songs like Chicago’s All that Jazz, Hairspray’s Good Morning Baltimore and Grease’s We Go Together.
– The actors all lined-up at the theater’s exit at the end of the show to shake hands with all of the audience and guests, an unexpected yet touching tribute to a grand evening and more importantly, a vehicle to let all of these folks know just how much they were appreciated in stepping-out to do this at the end of their school year, when other callings and distractions could have been more important. Had these teens not participated, we would have never known their wonderful capabilities!
All of these performers have excellent potential to build upon, should they continue in acting.

This was a true demonstration of extraordinary students that all of the Rainier High Family should be proud!
So nice to see so many familiar faces in the audience from Yelm come to Rainier, especially former Yelm TRL Librarian Kristin Blalack.

Bottom line:
As I told Ms. Hillman at the show’s conclusion, a grand gift for our community!
River City’s Mayor Shinn would be beaming with pride…in another nod to The Music Man.

Include the last performance tonight in your plans for a perfect Memorial Day weekend show for the whole family.

Where: Rainier High School Commons
308 Second St.
Rainier

When: Saturday, May 28 – 7:30pm

Cost: Tickets $6 at the door.