Thanks to the many neighbors who have written to the City Council these past few weeks in support of the College Terrace Library. The good news is that the latest budget proposal, released on Thursday, restores funding for a number of programs, including the College Terrace Library.

Under this new proposal, the College Terrace Library would be open three days a week, as would the Downtown and Children’s libraries. Rinconada and Mitchell Park would each be open six days a week.

Of course, nothing is certain until the budget is officially adopted. We encourage residents to continue writing to the City Council, focusing on the four council members who voted against Greg Tanaka’s motion to save the College Terrace Library during the initial budget discussions: Alison Cormack, Eric Filseth, Adrian Fine, and Liz Kniss.

The City Council will discuss the updated budget proposal starting at 1pm on Tuesday, May 26th. As before, residents can watch (and comment) via Zoom. Here are the details:

https://zoom.us/join
Meeting ID: 958 3084 9418
Phone: 1-669-900-6833

If you’re on the Zoom app or website, click the “Raise Hand” button to signal that you want to talk and you’ll eventually be given two minutes to speak. If you’re dialing in by phone, press *9.

The College Terrace Library is most than just a library – it’s a gathering place and hub for residents of College Terrace, Evergreen Park, Southgate, Mayfield, Ventura, Barron Park, Stanford, and beyond. And as we begin to slowly emerge from the isolation of shelter-in-place, we’ll need community centers like the College Terrace Library more than ever.