Temporary Library Staying On Track
Could open second or third week of June
The temporary library adjacent to Grocery Outlet is on track to be open the second or third week of June.
That was the report given by Edith La Vonne of the Porterville Library and Literacy Commission at Tuesday’s Porterville City Council meeting.
The temporary library will replace the library that was destroyed on February 18, 2020 by the fire that killed Porterville Fire Captain Ray Figueroa and Firefighter
Patrick Jones. The temporary library will serve the community until a permanent library can be built.
La Vonne said all of the furniture has been moved into the library except for a “couple of desks and a book case.” She said the fire marshal will still need to inspect the facility.
But once that’s done then library staff can go in and set everything up for the library. She said the timetable for all that being done should allow for the library to open the second or third week of June.
La Vonne also put in a plug for the Friends of the Library at Tuesday’s meeting. The Friends of the Library has been without a place to hold book sales since it was asked by the city to leave the building which housed its bookstore since October, 2020.
It was originally proposed the organization move down the street to 287 Hockett in a building across from the Porterville Fire Station but back in March City Manager John Lollis said that wasn’t the most practical solution.
In March he said the most practical solution may be to temporarily house the organization at a building at Second and Cleveland.
La Vonne said the organization’s bookstore has been able to fund numerous programs that have been offered by the library that would otherwise have to be paid for by the city. “We need to get them back to selling books,” La Vonne said.
Rae Dean Strawn, who regularly attends the council meetings, ex
pressed her opposition to the temporary library at Tuesday’s meeting during oral communications. Strawn is also suing the city for $500,000 for what she claims is a false arrest when she was taken into custody by Porterville Police at the January 18 council meeting for not properly wearing a mask. The council denied Strawn’s claim at its meeting on Tuesday.
Strawn said the temporary library has become a “bottomless pit” when it comes to the funding that’s needed for the facility. While she acknowledged the facility is being funded by insurance money from the library fire she said it’s still the taxpayers’ money.
She added every school has a library, students go online to do their work and the city should just focus on the permanent library.
She also took exception with the $10,750 cost for the sign to be placed at the temporary library. The item was up for approval as part of the consent calendar during Tuesday’s meeting and the council approved the item without discussion when it approved the entire consent calendar.
Council member Kellie Carrillo gave a plug for the temporary library, saying she was looking forward to the opening of the facility during oral communications at the end of the meeting. “A lot of people have different views but I really believe the community needs this,” Carrillo said.
ANIMAL SHELTER
Gail Nuckols continued to express her opposition to the location of the new animal shelter and dog park at 185 N. D. Street at the former Citybank building. Strawn also expressed her concern as they continued to express their concern about the shelter being located so close to downtown and other places nearby.
Nuckols and Strawn said property near the city’s corporate yard is a more suitable location for the animal shelter.
Nuckols presented a petition to the council which she said had signatures from people against the location.
Strawn said she spent 21 hours at the Porterville Fair last week asking people about the location.
“Every person I talked to said no, no way,” said Strawn about the location. “The people of Porterville are getting angry at the city for not listening to them for what they want.”
Nuckols echoed that sentiment. “You guys don’t tell people anything,” she said. “You people don’t know what you’re doing.”
But Brock Neely, who also attends regularly attends the council meetings, said government is slow and the council was open with its plans for the animal shelter several years ago.
That’s the issue as the city has been trying to relocate its animal shelter, which is effectively in Exeter, to the city for about 7 years. The project was further delayed last year when the council authorized the project to be rebid.
The council has since then authorized the project to go out to bid and for the $7.5 million facility to be placed at the former Citybank building.