For Immediate Release
Contact: Robin Diener
202/387-8030; 202/431-9254 cell
Mayor Fenty Breaks Ground on Tenley Library
May Not Be Enough to Quell Neighborhood Qualms
September 23, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Mayor Adrian Fenty broke ground today, for a new branch library in Tenleytown, where residents have been without a full-service library since the Tenley-Friendship Library was closed on December 31, 2004, almost five years ago.
Mayor Fenty has said the library is the first phase of a mixed-use development for the Tenley-Janney Elementary School site with the library “designed to accommodate future development above and around the facility.” The Fenty Administration recently committed an additional $1 million to modify the library plans and add structural supports to make future development possible.
Residents and library supporters hope this new beginning will mark the end to the long, tortured library saga. Many questions about the site and project are still unresolved. Mayor Fenty did not take questions from the public, but was interviewed by the media after the groundbreaking.
• Mark Plotkin, commentator for WTOP, noted that some neighbors are worried that the construction contract for the “completion” of the Tenley Library approved by Council was for only $3.8M, when the total cost of construction of the library is much greater. Mayor Fenty then called upon Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper to explain, who said all phases of the contract had been submitted. When questioned further, Cooper called upon DCPL’s Director of Capital Projects Jeff Bonvecchio, who clarified that the second phase "would be submitted within two weeks."
• Sam Ford, Channel 7 reporter, asked the Mayor about a “disconnect” between budget cuts necessitating reduction in library services starting October 1, and the building of large new facilities. Mayor Fenty said he wasn’t aware of the situation but supported Chief Cooper’s strategy for managing the system. Cooper said, “We build for the long term, we staff for the short term.”
• A feasibility report commissioned by ODMPED to determine the cost and advisability of additional structural support will not be made public, according to DMPED spokesman Sean Madigan.
Additional questions remain:
• How has the library design been affected by the additional supports? When will the revised plans be made public?
• Is underground parking still planned for the future mixed-use development? If so, why is it planned to be built after the library? How much land will it take away from the Janney School field? Will there be windows on the library wall facing Janney?
These and other questions continue to roil a neighborhood that once supported the busiest library in the District. Residents, who simply want their new fully funded library built, are uncertain that even a groundbreaking means the library will be built any time soon.
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The Library Renaissance Project is a non profit organization founded by Ralph Nader in 2002 to protect and promote the public interest in the District’s library system. It is not affiliated with and does not represent the trustees or administration of the DC Public Library. This message is provided for informational purposes to the media and other parties who have requested updates about developments affecting the public interest in the DC Library. If you do not wish to receive messages from us, please let us know by contacting: rdiener@savedclibraries.org
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