Editor: I read Bruce Corcoran’s column about the continued debate on moving the library and other businesses to the Sears building.
I am a regular visitor to the library, two or three times a week, and I have not seen anyone mention the item of parking if things are moved to the mall. I currently park in the small lot a block away because I refuse to pay for parking to drop of books and pick some up.
Sometimes I do have a problem finding a parking spot in that lot. I normally go during the day during the week when most people are working so there should not be much trouble getting parking at the library.
I used to park at the parking garage at the mall when I had a doctors appointment on King Street. It was the closest and easiest to find a parking spot. I noticed the last time I was there that there were a lot of signs that said you had to pay for parking. That was in the open parking area beside the parking garage. I went to park in the garage and noticed some signs there as well.
So my question is, if they move the library to the mall, am I going to have to pay to park there to pick up books and drop them off? The garage is a lot farther from Sears than the small lot is from the existing library so even if I did a quick in and out, it would probably be about a 20-30 minute round trip that I would need to pay for.
Also, I have some other senior friends who also spend a lot of time at the library and they can just manage the walk from the lot a block away but would doubtless have issues to make the walk from the parking garage to the Sears building.
Has anyone given any thought to the people who frequent the library on a regular basis and their needs to be able to continue this? I did receive a survey from the library about my thoughts about the move, as I am sure that everyone who is a library member did, and from what I had heard after the answer was a resounding, “No don’t move the library.” Does anyone really care what we think?
Susan Brakenbury
Chatham
