0324633 2 months ago on Now that the Walla Walla County Rural Library District Board has decided to buy land in College Place for a central library:

Now that the Walla Walla County Rural Library District Board has decided to buy land in College Place for a central library:

Why is the UB posting this poll if it doesn't express the opinion of the UB that such a poll is useful? Could I get them to do a poll on whether people thought it was silly to redo streets and adjacent sidewalks and then restring overhead telephone and cable wires instead of putting the latter underground?

The third option in the library poll negates the value of the poll as one can believe in consolidation and also support a new administrative building by the District. [The poll question is a classic example of poor survey building. Reminds me of many of the political polls one was subjected to last year. ]The building of a centralized and adequately designed facility for administrative functions (courier, infrastructure networking, cataloging and processing)is a solid move by the District. It only improves its ability to move ahead with consolidation. Which, could begin next year if the City Council will seize the moment. and take the District up on their offer to again consider a consolidation request once the new facility is in place. As a city resident I look forward to the day when the Walla Walla Public Library will once again cooperate with some other library and I don't need multiple cards to access the library resources of the world. Walla Walla must be the only city of its size in the country where one is restricted to the materials in its catalog and has no online access to requesting w/o charge materials from other libraries. We should be helping the WWCLD Board dig the foundation! My regret is College Place made the District an offer they couldn't resist. One more lost opportunity by our city council.

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0324633 3 months, 1 week ago on Public discussion of library services in Valley needed

Public discussion of library services in Valley needed

I hate to give this ongoing perspective of the Union Bulletin any more notice than it deserves. The writer is all over the map with recycled points and assumptions.

The State Auditor's recent rulings are not news. The volunteer District Board learned last summer that it had, inadvertently, not followed state regulations by making decisions informally through emails i.e. the sending a letter to the WW City Council and 2.) approval of an ad posted in the Union Bulletin. The content of neither communication is in dispute by the Auditor - rather it is the process followed.

The 'entire community' has been invited and involved at several junctures over the last several years in looking at library services in the greater Walla Walla area. A cooperative library system has not been ruled out by the District or the City of Walla Walla but both entities agreed to pursue separate strategic plans and wait a year or two before pursuing the idea further. As a precedent to that decision, the City pulled out of WALNET, emphasizing as far back as 2010, the lack of interest in cooperative resource sharing, training and collection development.

The District is responsible for serving the unincorporated areas of the Valley and, at this point, its services have grown to the point where attention needs to be paid to an expanded, administrative facility that serves the demographics of the Valley - regardless of whether or not the City pursues joining the District down the road.

The only reason I can think of that the LUC (and the UB) want a potential building site to be made public is so that they can then target the owner with negative publicity - much as has been done with lenders and other property owners who, it is rumored, earlier approached the District Board with land offers.

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0324633 8 months, 3 weeks ago on Rural library board rejects annexation idea

Rural library board rejects annexation idea

The RLD strategic plan does address remodeling and expanding the existing district libraries. Part of being able to do that involves consolidating admnistrative, technical services and some collection/public area space in a new building. Currently technical services functions, administrative and some collection space is in existing libraries and leased (Plaza & Jade) space. Of course available existing empty space is preferred. But the condition may be poor, location really bad or remodelling to support a heavily automated service center and library system - cost prohibative. Especially now, building new is more efficient. If naything the RLD has been too careful of spending money. Have you seen the current service center on Jade! Blocking the purchase of land and replacing the RLD Board w/city residents is critical to the City's plan to rescue the WWPL.

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0324633 8 months, 4 weeks ago on Rural Library District makes no decision on real estate

Rural Library District makes no decision on real estate

Why does the paper say the building of a new building is the result of a 'split?' I thought the building would replace scattered functions currently in leased, inadequate buildings: administrative services, public computers and collections space, network hubs, technical services (cataloging, processing, resource sharing acquisitions). If this isn't true the architect is going to be surprised.

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0324633 8 months, 4 weeks ago on Rural Library District makes no decision on real estate

Rural Library District makes no decision on real estate

The special RLD session was posted on the RLD website. Is this not all that is legally necessary? There's a ugly rumour making the rounds that the UB collaborated with the City's front group LUC and produced a 10 year old contract with the District stating the District would post notices of all meetings with the UB. The signature is discernable and the only person who would have had the autority to sign such a contract is Punkey Adams. She's in the phone book if anybody wanted to do some fact checking. If the rumour is true, the UB should fess up - it's the right thing to do.

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0324633 8 months, 4 weeks ago on Rural library eyes land buy

Rural library eyes land buy

The LUC announced the special executive session the night before so it wasn't much of a secret. They managed also know far enough in adavance to arrive with the press, a ceize and desist order (can't run those off as home), and their lawyer consultant whose's wife is a City Council member and has an vested interest in gaining access to the RLD's capital funds and using them to upgrade, expand and staff at the Walla Walla Public Library (so the City doesn't have to) while the City takes over the RLD Board. The City even was key in preparing the Declaration resolution which under the guise of promoting annexation (an excellant idea) happens to slip in the third paragraph a provision that Board membership be based on district jurisdiction according to population. Guess where 3 of the 5 Board members would come from? It is so sad to see the LUC group which started out in a good cause (annexation) so manipulated. "Who cares what happens to the 100 or so District employees", I heard last night. " I just care that I can go to the WWPL and check out books or dvds at my convenience!" [books/dvds purchased by the RLD bbecause the City hasn't provided enough in the last few years to do anything but pay salaries & benefits. Beware of all petitions you are asked to sign. Rural residents ae being hunted down.

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0324633 8 months, 4 weeks ago on Rural library eyes land buy

Rural library eyes land buy

That would be great - totally blow the City of W. W.'s objection to a closer, competing library. Especially since the RLD has basically been providing new materials for the WWPL for a few decades. Sorry the RLD is being harassed over this decision to build a new facility to replace the leased space in Plaza Way and combine centralized technical services to better serve the county libraries.

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0324633 9 months ago on Library plans not justified

Library plans not justified

Glad to see awareness growing. I am unclear about just what support the RLD has for building a new facilty. Some of the comments in the surveys appear to be orchestrated and I know from responding to the WWPLsurvey - it would have been very easy to submit several surveys - cutting and pasting the same responses in the comment spaces. And some people clearly did. The survey seemed to indicate to me a desire for more public spaces, support for a consolidated service center designed for centralized services (difficult to remodel for networked infrastructure) and administrative space. The Board is justified in translating those service requests to the need for a new bulding. Giving 100s of thousands to the City each year does indicate to me the Board was listening to residents of 4 & 8 but my view is not a popular one.

Just returned from latest LUC meeting whee it was pointed out to the founding members producing all these documents (with an increasing number of demands to be included with the annexation proposal) that a recall of the RLD Board (who are trained in District management, experienced in finace, education,....) could cripple the District system - throwing hundreds of people out of work and leaving the woefully inadequate city library as the sole source of library service! The person sitting next to me (Doughnut, well-heeled Whitman retiree) thought that was just fine and merited by the Board's desire to build a new facility. Others paused for 2 seconds and then began debating the best ways of collecting the latest petition. I don't know who they are trying to convince - the City sems to be finally convinced and petitions from city residents are not going to sway the RLD Board.

Dan Clark told me the RLD should buy the WWPL, fix it up and use it for their service center instead of building a new building to do the same. I wonder how the WWPL staff feel about that outcome!

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0324633 9 months ago on Consider merging local library services

Consider merging local library services

The editorial writer seems to be having difficulty developing his/her thought about what: Leadership qualities of County Comissioners? Understandable RLD frustrations w/criticism? Support of merged library systems? Necessity of RLD to combine its various support services in one facility designed for function?

Coverage of the WWPL activites and programs the last six months has been extensive by the UB. The Director has been able to place many promotional and personal philosophical pieces under the guize of submitted articles and a 'Special to the UB' column. That's great and should increase library awareness and usage.

The Union Bulletin byline is "We Bring the Valley to You." Research on annexation process, the difference between a District library system and a City library department, the definition of a central library service center. (State Library Website), a summmary of the RLD Strategic Plan (RLD website), even a report on all the library programs and events in the valley would build awareness in your readership of what city patrons are missing out on by losing membership in WALNET and resource sharing across the valley libraries.

Does the City really believe 50,000 county residents are in favor of paying for the remodel, expansion and additional staffing required of WWPL so it can be a central library service center?

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0324633 9 months ago on Park overhaul aimed at illicit activity

Park overhaul aimed at illicit activity

A week ago we were downtown on a Friday evening and wondered into the Heritage Park from Main Street. Several parties of tourists followed us in - surprised to hear opera. When the music stopped they all clapped! The sound system was quite good for a public area. The tourists then joined us as we admired the new placement of the heritage wall descriptors. They were very complimentary about the setting and the town of Walla Walla.

There were @ 8 youth lying on the picnic bench and the ground. They were attired in interesting and colorful gothic wear and makeup. I don't know if they appreciated the music or not but they were not the focus of attention.

I commend the police and the Foundation for trying again to increase the comfort level for all of us to enjoy being in the Heritage Park.

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