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JUNE 2012


on our efforts concerning the town dumpsite. We were pleas- antly surprised when the do- nor became excited about the dumpsite, got involved in the planning and remains commit- ted to the project.” While the library awaited


word from the EPA, it con- ducted more public outreach, providing information on prog- ress to date, and soliciting com- ments, suggestions, and survey input from the public. The out- reach included a public forum facilitated by Alexander Design and surveys to gather as much public input as possible. A survey was distributed at


public events, was available on- line, and at the library. Focus groups were held to gather in- put from a variety of people and groups: disabled persons and their family members; mem- bers of the gay, lesbian, bisex- ual, and transgender commu- nity; homeschooling families; genealogists and local history enthusiasts; Shepherdstown business association members; African American community members; religious organiza- tions; and others. People who were too young to respond in writing were asked to draw pic- tures of what they would like to see in a new library. While the public information campaign was under way con- tinued site work began. In May 2011 the state’s Department of Environmental Protection an- nounced a grant of $23,000 to hire an environmental reme- diation-planning consultant to determine costs for various clean-up options. Triad Engineering, the firm


selected, estimated the cleanup could cost as much as $500,000, leaving the library to find the remaining $260,000. Consider- ing the land had been donated and the EPA was kicking in half the remediation costs, the li- brary board considered this the best viable option. At present the library has


enough funds to cover the cleanup even if the full 500,000 is warranted. Site work is about to begin on a project that was begun in 2007. All that remains is a final decision by JCDA on which of the clean-up options presented by Triad to choose. That decision is currently under consideration, and the cleanup of the dumpsite is projected to begin this summer. A new com- pleted library at the site is pro- jected to be completed some- time around 2014 depending on how long the site clean-up takes and the level of success of the capital campaign drive.


And now . . . Just as the train was leaving


the station, some local opposi- tion has emerged to building the new library at the dump- site. For some, the concern is


the location itself—a perception that the site is not within walk- ing distance of German Street. “I don’t understand what walk- ing disance has anything to do with deciding on a library.” said one Jefferson County resi- dent. “There are so few people that would benefit from having the library within walking dis- tance, the rest of us in the coun- ty need a place to park, a place that isn’t cramped, a place that will allow for everyone to feel comfortable and welcome and that is loaded with materials.” For others, the potential pur-


chase of the Southern States building warrants more study. The question is: Should the li- brary board put the brakes on the current project so that it can then spend the next two to three years—and a lot of money and human resources—to de- termine whether the Southern States site is even viable given the concerns already identi- fied? Among those concerns are whether the site is avail- able and at what price, the ex- tent of brownfield problems at that site, and where the money would come from to complete these studies and prepare the site, whether there is adequate


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