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REGULAR MEETING November 26, 2018
<br /> Council President Tim Scott then opened the floor to questions from the Council Members.
<br /> Councilmember Oliver Davis asked,We have comments later,right?
<br /> Council President Tim Scott replied,Yes.
<br /> Councilmember Oliver Davis followed up, Ok, because I have a comment.
<br /> This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and
<br /> opponents were given an opportunity to be heard.
<br /> Robert Cornish, 130 South Taylor Street,South Bend,IN,stated,I am currently taking HSE classes
<br /> at the St. Joseph County Public Library. It has been twenty-eight (28) years since the renovation
<br /> happened at the Library and in that time, they have expanded and new projects became available.
<br /> The Smart Streets program did create more downtown foot traffic and the Library has not been
<br /> able to keep up, in a sense, with the growing needs of our community. This expansion will allow
<br /> people like myself who are seeking to complete an education by giving us the tools necessary for
<br /> us.Other people in the community are seeking different lines of employment and they have limited
<br /> resources, and they also use the library as well. I have read up on the proposed children and teen
<br /> sections and that, to me, is important. They'll be able to meet with friends, learn new ideas,
<br /> experiment and study and it makes it easier on families. Next week I will actually be taking my
<br /> HSE test. This is what is best to make the community grow.
<br /> Samuel Brown, 222 East Navarre Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I have a watchdog group called
<br /> Citizens United for a Better Government. I'm not going to make a long boring speech about this.
<br /> I really feel this is a great idea to expand our library and make it the best we can. The City is
<br /> expanding and doing a lot of things in South Bend. We should have a first (1St) class library that
<br /> serves all of us. This is a no-brainer, so, I hope that everybody feels like I do. Let's get this done.
<br /> Sy Barker, 15026 Stransbury Court,Granger, IN, stated, I'm here in support of the library project.
<br /> I'm a member of One Hundred (100) Black Men of Greater South Bend. We frequently had our
<br /> Education Committee meetings at the library. Reason being was because our members lived in
<br /> different parts of the City and it proved to be a good central location. Also, the new facility will
<br /> provide a place that is safe and inviting for the youth that we help. Also, for tutoring, and it will
<br /> be a place to come after school and during the summer. Finally, and personally, I have
<br /> grandchildren. I have a six (6) year old granddaughter and a four (4) year old grandson, and they
<br /> live out of the country but they come and spend the summer with us and their favorite place to go
<br /> is to the library. So they look forward to it and every week we go and they load up with books.
<br /> Ann Rosen, 1219 Leeper Avenue, South Bend, IN, stated, First (1St)of all, I want to thank you for
<br /> the opportunity to speak to you this evening about by favorite topic, that being the Library and its
<br /> new project. I'm speaking to you as a former co-Director of The Family Connection of St. Joseph
<br /> County. Our mission is to improve early childhood education in St.Joseph County. As part of that,
<br /> we provide excellent professional development to early childhood educators at no cost. Access to
<br /> free meeting rooms is essential to enable us to continue with this offering of free development. As
<br /> one(1) of the more than 3,000 groups that used the library in 2017, we use the meeting rooms too
<br /> and I can tell you they are at a premium and there are frequently times when there isn't a room
<br /> available. The proposed Community Education Center would increase the number and flexibility
<br /> of meeting spaces. We need flexibility because sometimes we will have a presentation for up to
<br /> fifty (50) people and sometimes as few as ten (10). Being able to use different sized rooms is
<br /> important. Also, we could have a large presentation and then do breakouts for more discussion.
<br /> Work of early childhood may not seem stressful to some of you but it is very stressful. Early
<br /> childhood teachers and directors get very little money. So imagine if, instead of being in the
<br /> basement where we meet now,meeting rooms had natural light, a few trees and a view of the sky.
<br /> During breaks,people could go outside and walk in the beautiful courtyard. Repeated studies have
<br /> shown that this is an important part of mental health. It lowers stress levels and enables learning.
<br /> There is a library branch we go to sometimes for trainings. It is a charming building. There's a
<br /> garden outside, there are windows,there's light, and I think the patrons that use the Main Library
<br /> should have that same experience. I will tell you, I love the Main Library,but sometimes if I don't
<br /> need to do work, I will go to a different branch because I love being able to walk outside. I'd really
<br /> rather go to Main.
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