JUNE 2012


13


As The Train Was Leaving The Station


By Dominic Valentine ~ This is the first


in a series of ar- ticles exploring the creation of a new library serving one third of the resi- dents of Jefferson


County, named the Shepherdstown Public Li- brary based on its location—not because it serves only the 1,800 residents of the town. Think of the facility as the “Northern Jefferson County Regional Library.” This first article documents the process by


which the site for the new library was chosen and the community involvement that was part of that process. Admittedly, what follows is


a dry read—not because libraries aren’t cool (they are), but because it’s a timeline of the sometimes mundane mechanizations of civic involvement. In the next article we will hear from some of those opposed to the planned relocation of the library to a site across the street from Shepherdstown Middle School and those who want to look at an alternative location.


After five years of planning, public meetings, focus groups, and outreach, site work is set to begin on the new Shepherdstown Public Library at the old dump site behind the Clarion Hotel on Route 480. Contracts that set the project in motion were signed in October 2010


after a three-year effort focused on that site, a decade after an effort to expand the library at its current location fell apart. Meanwhile, as the library board of trustees prepares for the clean-


up of the brownfield conditions at the site, there are voices of opposi- tion to the site among some residents of Shepherdstown. By all accounts, the site is considered large enough to accommodate


present and future expansion; it’s within walking distance of town and both Shepherdstown public schools, is large enough to accom- modate a building accessible by people with disabilities, and has ad- equate space for parking. But the possibility of relocating the library to the site of the former Southern States building on Washington Street has some residents asking for a pause in the process to fully examine the potential of that site.


Here is the first part of the story.


The need for a new


library to accommo- date the services and collections of a mod- ern public library was first identified in 1995 by then-library director Margaret Didden. Among the factors were computer space, popular chil- dren’s programs, lack of access for people with disabilities, and the acknowledgement that the library needed to serve a community 10 times larger than the population of Shepherdstown. Her idea was to expand the current library lo- cated in the historic Old Market House. “We thought we had a grand plan to expand,” said Didden. “But, in the


end I think it was too much change for the community—particularly people who didn’t want to see the library changed at all.” At the first public hearing, said Didden, “there was strong opposition to changing the appearance of the building. The addition to the back was very controversial. We continued to work to build public support, and we needed town council approval, but we were not able to get it.” The struggle over the Old Market House disheartened many of the library’s supporters. According to several participants, there was a palpable sense of mistrust and disdain between community leaders, residents, and decision makers. Eventually, the library board dusted itself off and began to search


for other options within the corporate limits. Meanwhile, Didden re- tired and Hali Taylor was hired as the library’s director. By 2007, the population of the county had grown rapidly, and Taylor was facing greater pressure to expand or move. The popularity of programs also grew. Again, the library board concluded that the current location was inadequate. Taylor approached then-Mayor Lance Dom for assistance. He knew


~


of no options within town limits, but suggested that the old town dump site located on Route 480 just outside of town might be a viable site. It would provide ample space for a new building as well as adequate room for future expansion. “Director Taylor and I discussed the possibility of pairing up town


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