Board abandons plan for regional libraries in Gwinnett

By Patrick Fox

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Faced with political disbandment, the Gwinnett County Library Board voted Wednesday evening to shelve its plan to restructure the library system.

A crowd of about 35 packed into a small meeting room at the administration building in Lawrenceville for the specially called meeting to decide the fate of the county's 14 branch libraries.

"We do really want to do the best for everybody in this county," said board Chairwoman Phyllis Oxendine. "We're all taxpayers. We all love the libraries."

The board passed a new proposal that would maintain neighborhood libraries as they are now, only with reduced hours. The new Hamilton Mill Library, set to open next year, also would follow the same plan.

Nancy Stanbery-Kellam, library system executive director, said the plan is equitable in that it shares the pain of budget cuts to all branches.

"We regret the loss of any goodwill and hope to move forward in a positive manner," she said. "None of us can deny the sentiment that citizens value their public library service."

The restructuring plan, passed at the board's regular meeting Sept. 22, drew a firestorm of protest from residents in the Dacula area, where the library would have been converted into a computer lab. Under the proposal, the county would have been divided into three zones, each with a regional library with expanded hours, three community branches and one computer lab.

Reaction to the restructuring initiative was mixed among residents of Lilburn and Snellville, where local branches were also tapped to be converted into computer labs. But Dacula residents threatened court action and flooded County Commission meetings seeking relief from the library board action. Library board members are appointed to four-year terms by the five county commissioners. They provide direction to library administration on policy and operation of the county's 14-branch system.

Three of five county commissioners – Kevin Kenerly, Mike Beaudreau and Bert Nasuti – have informed their appointees of their displeasure with recent actions and were considering disbanding the board.

Chad Parson, who headed a Dacula Business Association drive to keep the libraries intact, said he was satisfied with the vote.

"This is all we asked for from the beginning," he said.

Dacula Mayor Jimmy Williams echoed those sentiments.

"I'm happier than I was," he said. "I hate that we had to go through all this folderol."