Despite the best efforts of residents, activists and elected officials, the Rockrimmon Library will close Nov. 30. Hundreds of people attended Colorado Springs City Council, El Paso County Board of County Commissioner, and Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) Board of Trustees meetings to plead for an additional year of operation for the library, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
On Nov. 20, the meeting room at the East Library was filled to capacity with residents of all ages, and the line for public comment stretched out the door and snaked through the library. Elected officials, past and present, joined the call to save the library.
“I voted for four of you to put you on the board, so tonight I’m going to come before you again and ask you once more to go ahead and accept the offer for a one year lease – an extension, at a reduced cost with a guarantee that if there’s any flooding, that will be covered,” said Colorado Springs City Council Dave Donelson, who has consistently supported efforts to keep the Rockrimmon branch open. “Why should we do that? A lot of it is right in this room and in the neighborhoods that surround Rockrimmon Library. When you made this decision a month ago, initially, you hadn’t seen this yet. You hadn’t seen the outpouring of support for it. I think maybe some facts have been pointed out by some folks smarter than me, financial folks, about the finances and how really efficient this library is. I said this on council, I said this to my colleagues, if we want to find a way to help, we’ll find it. And I really believe if you want to find a way to keep this one library, Rockrimmon Library, 1% of your budget, that’s including some of the labor – half a percent if you just look at the rental fee. If you want to find a way to do it, you can. If you don’t, if you want to find a way to say, ‘Well, you know, the consultant said, this is the one we should close,’ you’ll be able to do that. But I’m here and all these people are here to ask you to find a way to help.”
Former Colorado Rep. Terri Carver (R) told the PPLD Board of Trustees how important the Rockrimmon library was for older adults who struggle with technology and email.
“I’m here because this is my neighborhood,” said El Paso County Commissioner-elect Bill Wysong. “[I] moved to Mountain Shadows in ’86 and that library came shortly thereafter. The Rockrimmon Library probably covers an area of about 25 to 30,000 people. A lot of interesting things have impacted the northwest part of Colorado Springs, Waldo Canyon fire to name the most critical one. We got probably more people here about this library than we have a lot of the other things that have happened to Mt. Shadows, Rockrimmon and Peregrine. So I’m asking that you take this into consideration for your decision. Andrew Carnegie started the library system. So one of the things that he talked about is it’s entertaining and it’s educating the millions. It’s the temple of learning, ambition and aspiration for towns and cities throughout the U.S. This is what started the whole library system in the United States. It’s the second largest-used library in the system. By definition, this would be the second to the last library you close. So I’m asking that you really understand that if you’ve got a smaller library that is so heavily used, it should not be closed. Because it affects more people. So with that, there are solutions. And I am offering that here, to help solve this problem.”
Colorado Springs City Councilor Nancy Henjum, a liaison to the PPLD Board of Trustees, encouraged the board to work to keep the library open. “Over the past five weeks since your decision, I’ve been navigating two challenging but essential goals,” she said. “First, I have worked to really honor your leadership as a volunteer body entrusted with decentralizing control and fostering community collaboration. This can be a thankless role, and I empathize with the difficulty of balancing public expectations and organizational demands. Though perhaps not all communication has reflected the respect you deserve. I recognize that these intense emotions stem from a community deeply invested in the library and testimony to the library’s value and the work of this district for so many years. Second, I actively listen to the voices of the Rockrimmon community, a group that is galvanized by their shared desire to preserve their local library, their thoughtful engagement demonstrated by research – wow, do they know a lot –respectful dialogue and clear articulation of concerns is a model of civic participation. I’ve read countless emails and tried to respond to all of them. I’ve not been able to. And that’s actually saying something because I usually do. And it has been more, I think, than any other topic that I received in my four years on City Council. I’ve had more conversations and I witnessed — you have witnessed, we’ve all witnessed — their resolve to contribute constructively to this conversation. So I have a call to collaboration. I really encourage this board to seize this moment as an opportunity to innovate and forge a new path of collaboration. Imagine a future where this challenge actually serves as a template for navigating similar situations in the future. Creating a proactive model for community engagement about your decision here can resolve this immediate issue and strengthen trust and partnership with this community, paving the way for lasting positive outcomes and not just for the Rockrimmon Library but for PPLD going into the future.”
In contrast, El Paso County Commissioner Carrie Geitner commended the PPLD Board of Trustees for their decision. “I just want to reiterate my support for the decision that you all have made,” she said. “As the liaison, I think the longest running liaison at this point for the last four years. Most of you know, maybe not all the public knows, that from the beginning I was very passionate about this library, making sure that it reflected our community, as well as making sure that it was financially sound. I think you guys have done a tremendous job of working with a difficult situation, and I fully support the decisions you’re making. I know that it’s very difficult for the community.”
Following public comment, the PPLD Board of Trustees did not respond to any of the citizen comments nor did they make any motion to reconsider the vote on Rockrimmon Library at their next meeting. PPLD Board of Trustees member Aaron Salt did appear at a Colorado Springs City Council work session on Nov. 25 to answer questions from council. Donelson directly asked Salt to put the Rockrimmon Library to a revote in December.
“I don’t believe the conditions have changed enough to warrant a revote on this,” replied Salt.
Residents will hold a citizen’s gathering at Saturday, Nov. 30, at 11 a.m. to say goodbye to the Rockrimmon Library.
