Save the Racine Public Library From Mayor John Dickert! My view

 

Full discloser I worded for the Racine  Library sometime ago

Libraries are critical what others have said

I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it’s better than college. People should educate themselves – you can get a complete education for no money. At the end of 10 years, I had read every book in the library and I’d written a thousand stories.

Ray Bradbury

Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open.

Laura Bush

Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest.

Lady Bird Johnson

Most would agree that libraries are critical to get kids interested  in reading to instill the love of learning and that knowlage we gain can not be taken away from you.

Best there is no end of what might be learned from the act of going to the Library.

When I was a child in Baraboo WI my Mom and Dad made a point of making sure did I not learn how to read they read to me at a young age and my Dad taught me how to read when I was about 4 .

Early on, I discovered  all the cool books I could get from the Baraboo Library.

Oh the world of Books the information!

After the Army I discovered  the U.W. Madison Library system with more information then I could think of ….

Even in my early days recovering from Alcoholism the  Library was a place of refuge.

Today I go to the Racine Library a few times each month.

Yes things have changed far more then just books  can be found there from programing to engage youth, DVD’s, and public Computers can be found there they can and are being used by many from Facebook to others using You Tube to discover this big world we live in.

Per $$ spent I  think there is no better investment that any City can make then the public Library.

So then why the hate from Mayor Dickert with the Cut backs?

Mayor Dickert at a City meeting on Downtown Racine?

Is it to save $$ I cant think that if we can spend millions on Rootworks a million on City Hall (and his pal making Bank with the Bathrooms) could not cuts come from that? Or is there an another plan?

Why Yes Young Jedi there just might be.

I am thinking that our Real Estate maybe looking to find room for a Hotel/Convention Center where the Racine Public  Library/YMCA stand now.

Lets take a look at a map

Why look in the upper left hand corner we have the YMCA!

What would they ever do with that Empty Building? Why of course sell in to the City or a pal of our Mayor to start this hotel/center

Yet IMHO they need more room the Library would provide this added room.

and then we have this

From the Racine Journal Times

Urban Pioneer – October 22, 2014 11:55 amIt is time for the Library to address the reality of the 21st century. Close and sell the land on Lake Michigan shoreline..It makes ZERO sense to maintain a tax dollars consuming property on land that could easily b rebuilt as a tax PRODUCING property if it was developed by the private sector. Second sell the land on Spring and Neumann Rd. Then take the combined monies and the Library’s reserve fund (Which I believe is around 10 million dollars. and build a new library on the property of the WesTowne theater. Ohio and Washington Ave. Its centrally located, and easy access for most of Racines low income students and families, and everyone else as well. Also easy access for Caledonia and Mt Pleasant users. Plenty of room for free parking. Close to shopping, groceries, the Post Office etc. This is a win-win for the entire community. Both the users and the non-users of the library system. Finally we can start collecting taxes from a high rise hotel or Condo development on the current library property and the YMCA on the lakefront land.

Looks to me that this poster does not understand that:

1) There is no real Bus system for anyone to use anyone and Minority Kids can get to this (Current) location vs most others, if ANYONE should have access to  a library its the minorities kids

2) Unless/until the Downtown becomes a gated community Minorities will coming to Downtown Racine.

3) Perhaps the library users do not shop downtown is what the heck is there to youth to shop at?  Bars and more Bars. Should we allow 12 year old kids to start drinking?

IMHO I see this attack on our  Racine  library as nothing more then the first step to building a Hotel/Center were once again Mayor John Dickert will use City $$ to have his pals make bank. That the story in the J-T and the post suggesting a move was just testing the waters for a push my our Mayor to get our beloved library to move

Thinking we need a good library far more then RootWorks or more City Contracts to our Mayor’s pals

 Please call the Mayor’s Office and your Alderman and tell them to fully fund the library.

In fact the Inter Governmental fund was to be used for that very thing NOT BS like Team Porter’s and what happened to that idea?