The following letter-to-the-editor was printed in the Reston Connection:
County Proposes to Bulldoze Reston Library and Homeless Shelter
We look to our elected and appointed officials to support our
communities and to work to improve the lives of all our citizens,
including our children, our seniors, young graduates, recent arrivals to
our country and even the most disadvantaged among us. Two institutions
in Reston epitomize this sense of caring and hope for the future - the
Reston Regional Library and the Embry Rucker Homeless Shelter. How can
it be then, that our elected and appointed officials are working to
physically tear down both of these institutions with no announced plans
to replace them, leaving the residents of this region poorer both in
education and in spirit?
The County recently announced its intention to redevelop an extensive
area in North Reston. This area is divided into eight sections. Six of
the sections have little or nothing of significance in them. Two
contain the Library and the Shelter. Guess which two the County wants
to bulldoze?
The County proposes to turn this land over to a "Public/Private
Partnership" to redevelop into commercial, retail and residential high
rises, and "public facilities". They have said repeatedly the "public
facilities"
MAY
include a new library and shelter in the mix if the developer chooses
to do so. Or they may not. And the County does not guarantee any
replacement will be of the same size or offer the same services, much
less anything better.
The County is approaching this backwards. Their first priority should
be to serve their constituents. In 2012 the citizens of Fairfax County
approved a $10 million bond specifically to either build a new regional
library in Reston or to significantly expand and improve the current
facility in keeping with our population growth. Three years later they
have done nothing.
Given the County's actions with respect to our libraries in recent years
- the massive destruction of books, particularly children's books, the
cutback on hours of operation and repeated attempts to downgrade the
professional qualifications of our librarians - a certain skepticism is
prudent. But the County has an opportunity to restore confidence in its
commitment to the public:
First, in the case of the library, by publicly stating what their plans
are - three years after the bond passed - on remodeling or replacing existing facilities.
Second, by confirming the will of the electorate that any new library
structure will be of greater size than the current facility with a full
book collection and at least the same number of dedicated parking spaces
as well as improvements that will make it a viable library in a
community whose population and employment the County projects will
double in a quarter century.
And third, by doing what should have been done years ago and
establishing a Citizens Task Force to be involved in all phases of the
planning process. Oh, and any new structures should be built before the
old ones are demolished. This is what was done with the new and old
North County Government Centers and it makes a lot of sense.
There is no reason we have to destroy the best parts of us just for the
sake of a few dollars of new tax revenue for the County. After all,
revenue for the County is supposed to be used to support the citizens of
Fairfax - like by having a library people want and use and a homeless
shelter to catch those who would otherwise fall through the cracks.
Ambassador Dennis K. Hays (ret.)
Chairman, Fairfax library Advocates
