Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Phoenixville Library - Michael Kammerdiener - Open letter

To: Phoenixville Borough Council Members

Phoenixville Public Library Management & Staff

Phoenixville Area School District Board

Phoenixville Borough Residents


It is a sad day for the Borough of Phoenixville.

I am not a chef, but I know a good meal when I’ve been served one. I am not a surgeon, but I know when I’ve been healed. Likewise, I am not an architect, but I know a monument to arrogance, vanity, short-sightedness, stupidity, and backroom politics when I see one. The library’s proposed expansion project is such a monument, and unfortunately, Borough Council has opened the way to having that monument built across Second Avenue and into Reeves Park.

Borough Council, by a vote of 5-2, chose a path away from leadership, courage, wisdom, intelligence, and fairness in approving on Tuesday evening the library’s request to close Second Avenue. Borough Council has declined to engage all parties to this issue in a truly collaborative and participatory process, one which would actually create a solution that would benefit everyone and hurt no one. Borough Council, by virtue of its small-mindedness and cowardice, has set in motion a process of win-lose, needlessly costly efforts that will stretch on for many, many months. You have done a disservice to the citizens of the Borough, and your willingness to place the Borough in danger of incurring needless expenses in the future as a result of your decision is irresponsible, if not malfeasant.

Mr. Wagner’s comments notwithstanding, Council has indeed passed the buck on this important issue, caving to the library proposal’s supporters in a spineless performance that I expected, even as I hoped for better. Mr. Speck’s enthusiasm for “democracy” notwithstanding, I hold democracy to a higher standard of transparency, participation, and consideration for one’s friends and neighbors than was demonstrated last night and in the months leading up to last night. Mr. Ciruelos’s vision of the “greater good” – would that this proposal were a course in the direction of the “greater good,” rather than a course in the direction of division, destruction, and needless waste of time and resources. Mr. Buckwalter – I’m appalled that you had better things to do than be present for such an important meeting. As for the library’s supporters, who reminded us many times Tuesday night that “change is difficult” – indeed, they have been the consistent embodiment of that platitude, as they have been completely unwilling for quite a long time to consider any course of action that deviates from the lone proposal they’ve put forward.

I continue to invite Borough Council, library leadership, library employees and patrons, and the residents of Phoenixville Borough to work together to craft an expansion plan that meets everyone’s needs while damaging no one. In the meantime, so long as this course of action is pursued in the win-lose manner set forth by the library, I will continue to challenge the process and the outcome.



Michael Kammerdiener

Phoenixville Borough Resident

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is not an issue for council, never was. It is a concept. The school board thought it was a concept. The Phoenixville borough council gave this ghostly, ghastly thing substance. The school board said "Sure. Go ask Wagner and the dancing Dems if they can move your cute little concept along." The library's funding is dependent on the school board. The school board was given something. They will now be handed another hot potato concerning land for buildings. A hot potato coated with some very slimy sour cream and nice green chunks of chives by way of more legal bills - a thing so messy that all the industrial cleaning fluid seeping out of the would-be basement of our "for the children"'s elementary school plot will not clean up the mess. If the school board is smart and does not want even more lawsuits, facing the wrath of the taxpayers who will have to fund them, the board will say politely to the Phoenixville Borough Council, "No thank you. After thinking about the concept a little more, I can't digest this just now." Or the residents of Schuylkill, East Pikeland and Phoenixville can watch their taxes jump even more. Then you can watch Wagner and Krack say "Look at the school taxes if you think the increase we handed you again is so bad". As
George Carlin used to say about drugs, the motto should be "Just say no thank you". Do not accept this "gift".

Anonymous said...

I am impressed by the passion exhibited by those opposed to the expansion, but at some point you have to get over it and let progress happen. You are very vocal but you are in the minority on this issue.

Anonymous said...

Yet again the lie is repeated as if to make it fact. If you counted up the "for Carnival LEP concept" vs "reservations about Carnival LEP concept" and subtracted the well-organized library board members and their spouses, the count is for "reservations about Carnival LEP concept". Get over it and over up a new progressive, respectful, inclusive LEP plan. All will be happy to share tea with you at locations throughout the extended communities which comprise the School System which funds the Library which serves the 38,000. If you repeat the big lie you undermine your credibility on all points.

Anonymous said...

"If the school board is smart and does not want even more lawsuits, facing the wrath of the taxpayers who will have to fund them, the board will say politely to the Phoenixville Borough Council, "No thank you."

OR the folks who are against this expansion could quit being selfish and let it happen for the common good of the community.

Anonymous said...

Why would they let it happen for the common good of the community? This isn't about the community. Never was, never will be. They all have their own issues they are pushing and they'll say and do anything to get their way. Progress moves on.

Anonymous said...

"I continue to invite Borough Council, library leadership, library employees and patrons, and the residents of Phoenixville Borough to work together to craft an expansion plan that meets everyone’s needs while damaging no one. In the meantime, so long as this course of action is pursued in the win-lose manner set forth by the library, I will continue to challenge the process and the outcome."

This is ridiculous statement. There is no proposal that will meet everyone's needs while damaging no ones. You know the phrase "In a perfect world..." The reason that that is a phrase is because the world isn't perfect.

Anonymous said...

Calling people selfish when they are stating are the obvious and potentially proposal-ending aspects of this just demonstrates the basic problem. It was flawed from the start because it engaged no one in the initial phases. Today that kills most public projects, no matter how many cheerleaders come on board later. It is a strategy that worked in the past, but it is outmoded.
The people most directly affected by this have every right to complain to anyone who will listen. They will be bearing the daily burden for everyone.
Regarding the overused "common good" phrase: perhaps you should pick up a philosophy book and learn what you are talking about before using phrases that may not mean what you think they do. A utilitarian ethical philosophy is not what is needed here. For example, say there is a bus full of people on their way to work, in a hurry. Your "common good" argument would prompt you to pass by a disabled person waiting for the bus, because the "common good" would not be served by the extra time it would take for that person to board. In your "common good" philosophy, it is acceptable because most people would get to work quicker. That is not a philosophy that I find acceptable in making these types of decisions. I would find that immoral. Yet in "common good" terms it is ok. If that is how the Council makes it's decisions, then shame on them.

Anonymous said...

True, no proposal is perfect. But there are any number of other ideas that would be far more acceptable to everyone. If you listen to the people who are against the proposal, they are not saying they are against all expansion, even at the current location. They are against this building because it is going across the street and both sidewalks. It obstructs the street. That is the central complaint. Just ask any person who has come out against it. It is at the core of every complaint.
The library planners have repeatedly misrepresented what they have done, and what others have said. And now they have others repeating the same things. This is a recipe for failure.

Anonymous said...

This isn't about perfection or even the community. It's just a select few people that continue to fight the progress of Phoenixville and will continue to do so. I just can't figure it out. This isn't about the children on 3rd Avenue, it's not about the park, it's not about parking, it's not about traffic, and it's not about their elderly neighbors. This is simply people trying to keep Phoenixville down and not move on into the future. Remember in Philadelphia when everyone was up in arms about erecting buildings that were taller than city hall? There was a big push to keep that from happening because the sky would fall in if it did happen. Well, eventually that passed and buildings were built, and guess what? The sky didn't fall in, and Philadelphia still looks like a nice city even with the "taller than city hall" fingle-fangle buildings. Imagine that.

Anonymous said...

A proposal that meets everyone's needs and damages no one does not mean that it would be perfect. It just sounds like good common sense.

Anonymous said...

This type of library expansion/renovation project has been done in countless other towns and cities. It has been done in a civil fashion and without major problems. And the difference between this proposal and the ones that are successful is that there was public input from the start on the ones that work. There was no fighting afterwards on those because agreement had been reached before drawings were made. The people opposing this aren't interested in keeping Phoenixville down. Why would they want to do that? They do not object to the library expanding, just not blocking off the entire street and both sidewalks. Unfortunately, the planners who came up with this idea thought it wasn't necessary to engage the public. Too much trouble. And this fight is the result of that. It was so predictable. This is simply a bad idea, and it's the only one they have. The folks objecting to it have very real concerns. Please stop trying to diminish the problems, they will become apparent if this thing gets built. Unfortunately the planners thought they know best, and they obviously do not. They now have to resort to all the tactics typically used in the old days of urban planning. Very retro, but not in a good way.

Anonymous said...

What other ideas have people given other than opening a satellite or moving? Not one. Because there isn't any other way that this could be done. What don't you people get? There are no hidden agendas. If there are, please be more specific other than just making a blanket statement. And the fact that the moderator lets these comments appear without any facts or proof is reckless. I believe it was council of the past years that allowed many of our historic buildings to be abandoned and left to deteriorate into history.

Karen said...

Anonymous, at the top of the home page is a search engine for this blog.

Please type in library and all the various threads will appear.

By researching the archived articles you will find each and every suggestion made by posters and me.

There have been many, many suggestions for branches or a completely new campus.

Anonymous said...

And there you are again with this statement....."I believe it was council of the past years that allowed many of our historic buildings to be abandoned and left to deteriorate into history." .....Please name the building you are refering to. Your comment is nonsense.

Anonymous said...

The problem in a nut shell is that Council has NO IDEA what their responsibilities are or what their job is. I'm pretty sure that upholding the laws of the Borough and State are included. And that certainly refers to Zoning laws too. Instead they vote for issues that are clear violations of those laws and then try to change the law to match their vote. Un freaken believable. Wait until you see the zoning law revision that will attempt to make this vote legal. Expect them to eliminate all setbacks, parking requirements, etc for Libraries in this NCR district. Expect then to try to give away that portion of Second avenue for a $1 when the state laws require that municipalities sell its assets when necessary, in a bidding process not a gift process. That in turn will give the opposition the golden opportunity for a spot zoning challenge which they will win. I hope they are prepared to challenge not only to preserve their neighborhood but to also make sure Council understands the illegality of their action.

It's not about the Library. It's about Council's stupidity.

Anonymous said...

All options had already been explored. Three other options offered, a satellite location, expansion in another direction, or a whole new library in another location. Option 1 a satellite location. Won't work b/c of the loss of funding for satellite location. Unless those who want a satellite location are willing to fund it, scratch that idea. It also just doesn't make sense to have one library in two locations. When the hospital decided on their current expansion did they do a satelite location? Having the ER or whatever the expansion comprises in a seperate location and leave the hospital alone. Doesn't make sense to have some services in one place and some in another when you are serving the same people at both locations. Option 2 expansion in another direction. These options have been explored in the past with the library attempting to buy adjacent buildings, but owners not willing to sell. If those in favor of this option are able to get the owners to sell their properties for what they are worth (at this time probably not much), I'd be all for expanding in those directions. Probably won't happen. Option 3 relocate to larger location. Again funding would be lost b/c of vacating the current location, not to mention another Carnegie library dissappearing. For a town that is steeped so much in history, to have a historic building basically disappear (would no longer be a Carnegie library) would be a travesty. As I have said these options have been explored and the library is left with this being the only viable option available.

Anonymous said...

Well, when you have Council members, one of whom says the park and the library have been courting and will now be tying the knot (wonder who's officiating, Byrnes Mansion?); and one who gets oh so offended by an elderly citizen's valid remark comparing the building to the Berlin Wall,which just demonstrates his own ignorance of basic history (the Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961not during World War II and the Holocaust), it's not surprising the vote went as it did.

Anonymous said...

I heard that Tyler James was run out of town after he got Molly Maguire pregnant.

Anonymous said...

Anony 5:39 - that's pretty funny.

Karen, saying we can move the library to The Phoenix building is not a plan any more than me offering my house as the new library option. They have to be viable ideas that pan out and make sense. Lets move the library to the Acme, or what about across from KFC, or what about the hospital? You see, these are all ideas but they are ridiculous just as some of the ideas posted.

Anonymous said...

April 16, 2009 10:47:00 PM EDT

Actually you're the funny one. Why would Karen and her neighbors spend the kind of money the Library has already spent designing alternatives. They are suggesting alternative/available sites that the Library should be investigating and possibly designing an alternative to the one causing all the consternation.
You say..."They have to be viable ideas that pan out and make sense."
Unless the Library takes a serious look at the suggested alternative sites I guess we'll never know, will we. And I do agree your ideas are ridiculous. Most of the neighbors opposed are not.

Anonymous said...

First of all Anon 10:46pm - I said that the tyler james Molly's comment was funny, not Karen.

Second of all, proposing we move to buildings that are open just because they sound like a good plan doesn't make it a viable idea. I can say lets move it to the Acme Shopping center (thats an idea), I can say lets move it to the space next to Taylor Rental (thats an idea), I can say lets move it in one of the many open gas station lots (those are ideas), or what about in the hospital parking lot (that's an idea). But you see, these are just ideas without any thought given to them, much like the ideas that have been proposed on this site. Think, you should try it sometime.

Anonymous said...

Those who are opposed to the library expansion claim it is for the good of community not just NIMBYism. Where is their outcry about this then - http://www.phoenixvillenews.com/articles/2009/04/18/opinion/srv0000005144011.txt

Hmmmm, I wonder..... Oh because this effects of this expansion don't affect their neighborhood.