New Plum library better than quick fix

The following clarifies and corrects some information appearing on social media and in the newspapers regarding the Helen Plum Library Board's recent decision to move forward with a referendum on the November 2016 ballot.

The question will ask to approve a tax rate increase to fund a 20 year term $22.5 million loan that will allow for replacement of the current 53 year old library with a new building and an operating expenses increase.

The Lombard cost per capita for library services has always been lower than any other comparable public library in the surrounding area. It has been 40 years since the Helen Plum Library received a voter approved increase in its tax rate.

In 2004, two referendums were placed on the ballot. One asked voters "for $23,500,000 to build a new library." The other "for an increase of 6 cents in the operating tax rate ceiling." Because the referendum did not pass, the library has not been able to expand or accumulate any significant capital reserves to be used for construction.

Presented earlier this year with current well-researched options, the board determined that instead of throwing good money after bad by spending $5 million to 6 million dollars just to "put band-aids" on an outdated and deteriorating facility, a replacement would be a far better value for the community's investment.

A new Lombard library will offer more space for materials and seating, more study rooms, convenient drive-through, and expanded spaces for teens and children. The library will be ADA compliant and with the safety of a sprinkler system. The new Helen Plum Library will provide a sense of pride and place to the town I have lived in, worked in and loved for more than 40 years.

Virginia Carlson

President, board of trustees

Helen Plum Library

Lombard