The Greenburgh Library will be closing soon and will be moving to satellite libraries. Most of the books, video's, etc.. will be in storage during the next two years. The new satellite locations (2 small rooms at Town Hall, a room at the multipurpose center) are much smaller than the old library.
The Library Board and Town Board made a decision to keep our full time staff employed. The employees do an outstanding job and we don't want to lose them. When we open up the new library in about 2 years we want to have outstanding, trained and dedicated librarians and staff serving you.
I have suggested additional satellite locations (E Hartsdale Ave/Nature Center). In the event that the satellite library locations do not generate much traffic and use I propose that the staff be assigned, temporarily, to other town departments.
We must make sure that employees who receive a pay check are actually working.
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11 comments:
Why cant some of them be dedictated to studying other systems (Like WP) e borrowing systems and start work on that ASAP
someone should ask the police
chief why a disbared member of the
force who happens to be african
amercican was promoted to lieutnant
over a white officer with an
unblemished record..in fact how
does a disbarred attorney who
violated his oath as an officer
of the court get to stay on
the police department who job
it is to uphold standards and
morality in the community
anon at 8:40am ... oops, you posted in the wrong section of the blog
How many people are we talking about? The satellite libraries will generate very little traffic, so perhaps "loan" them to Scarsdale, White Plains, Ardsley and Yonkers since those are the libraries that most residents of unincorporated Greenburgh will be using. Since we're paying the staff anyway, this might be a very wise thing to offer to our neighbor libraries.
If we loan our employees to neighboring jurisdictions they should pay their salaries, not Greenburgh taxpayers.
Greenburgh doesn't have a positive image with neighboring municipalities, so since we have to pay the employees anyway, I just thought that that would be a nice idea.
Does Samis know you're blogging anonymously to promote yourself on your own blog? He thinks that's a bad idea.
to anon at 12:00 pm
Samis and Feiner are allowed to do what ever they want.
I've been promoted!
Samis and Feiner...no longer Feiner and Samis. Now all I need is both a car and a roof sign.
The issue is not that the satellites will generate little traffic or not but what should occupy the floor space, books or employees? Because there isn't really enough for both if you are also going to allow Patrons inside.
It is true that the staff has been highly trained and perform their jobs admirably. It is equally true that it probably makes little sense to lose this investment and disrupt those employees lives who, through no fault of their own, will be under utilized during the two year transition.
I guess that we shall have to grin and bear it but we should also not lose sight of the fact that this situation exists solely because of the ineptitude of the the Library Trustees Building Committee, Howard Jacobs, Susan Wolfert and Estelle Palevsky. If bloggers object to their names being used, then read it as the anonymous Building Committee.
Read the OATS minutes. The Building Committee was repeatedly warned that the relocation plans had to be in place by the latest, December 31, 2005. December 2005, not September 2006. Having failed to do so, the Library chose to accept Plan B, less than 6,000 feet which caused the problem of not only where to store the staff but also the books, media and periodicals as well.
What is needed is not to deport the employees but to establish quickly some alternative locations for them and to spend money on places that there will be a semblance of a Library. Even if there is a high cost involved it is better to spend more money on function rather than less money on storage. It really wont't cost anything either. The Library can spend the almost $310,000 that was approved in the 2007 library budget for repairs and maintenance on a building that will be shut down this month.
BUT ABOVE ALL, during this two year transition period, somehow the Library should muddle through and retain the Acting Library Director title @ $97,000 and not fill the vacant $120,000 Library Director position. Both of these titles are in the 2007 budget as expensed, so the taxpayers can save $120,000 (if they can pry the money away from the Library Fund) by not hiring.
And, is there a freeze on hiring at the Library? Not to my knowledge.
Since the Library Trustees believe that they are independent of the Town, with an approved budget (which they've got, they can spend the approved TOTAL anyway they want.
And do.
So the answer is not the unwieldly transfer (union job description mess) but to find places where they can perform Library work. 6,000 feet of Library when the residents have been bamboozled into buying 46,000 feet is not adequate, especially when we have been told that the old building's 22,000 feet was crowded.
The residents need, like all other communities where construction occurs, more library and this means going out and renting either office or storefronts. This is not an item where the cost should allowed to be a deterrent.
And, in the midst of all this, is it not curious that Demita Gerber saw fit to suddenly choose to resign and move just ahead of the construction start while Central 7 thinks that now is when they now longer need a Librarian?
But don't hold back, blame Feiner and Samis or Samis and Feiner, your choice.
Just save the taxpayers $$$$. This is a good idea
You mean working and drawing a Town paycheck unlike the members of the Town Board?
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