| FIRST- A HUGE THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE SHOWED THEIR SUPPORT!!!!!!!!!!! A SPECIAL WELCOME TO RESIDENTS OF THE AFFECTED NEIGHBORHOOD. IN MEMORIAM Magdalene "Maggie" Valdez I LOVE libraries... except for this one. The new Laramie County Library in Cheyenne, Wyoming will destroy a neighborhood! We have been doing what we can, but any help would be great! ***ACTION ALERT*************************************** Angela Tamayo has owned her home in the block scheduled for demolition since 1969. She lives there with two of her adult children. To contribute to her legal expenses a check can be made out to: The Angela Tamayo and Family Legal Fund Please mail your contributions to the following address: The Angela Tamayo and Family Legal Fund American National Bank, 1912 Capitol Avenue Cheyenne WY 82001 ********************************************************* Stuctures to be demolished include my parents' house. I have included some information about it here since it's what I know the most about, but this is going to be even harder on some of the other residents. My brother Jeff articulates the sitation well. Photos of some of the other houses can be viewed here. How this happened: Voters voted yes (54.75% in favor of the project and 45.25% opposed) to Proposition 6 on the ballot on Nov. 4, 2003. Many voters were unaware that residents would be displaced when the library was built. My mom got on TV and the radio before the election to make sure people were aware of this but many still did not know. Check out the library web site which neatly sidesteps this issue- http://www.lclsonline.org/ I would be happier with a page about the project that looked more like this- http://www.oppl.org/construction/historyjan00.htm Note the degree to which this library found it worthwhile to explain what their plans were! Yeah, this is how it's supposed to work! Take note, Laramie County Library. The Laramie County library hired a consultant for this project who appears quite knowledgeable about what is inside library buildings. They hired NO consultant to help them figure out where to put the building. The new library building is planned to be adequate only until the year 2020. Apparently the people who wanted the new Cheyenne library built didn't think it was worthwhile mentioning that people would be dislocated and their homes would be demolished. Despite the deceptive manner in which the issue was presented, an election is an election and it looks like people are going to have to move. Other problems with the project: Residents are concentrated on the 400 block, which is slated to become a parking lot. The parking lot will be to existing parking. The library is to be built on the 500 block. Having a single centralized county library, which is the current setup, is inconvenient for lower-income residents. I am told the plans don't entail a fallout shelter, but was unable to read the .pdf on the library's website to confirm this. If this is true, it's just plain stupid - the air force base is REALLY close by. What could have happened instead: Purchase of several Bookmobiles Opening branch libraries in existing structures (incl. strip malls) Adding literacy and ESL programs across the city Increasing family reading nights at junior high schools and implementing them at elementary schools Building everything on a vacant lot More effectively using space at the existing central library A State parking lot exists at 23rd and Pioneer. It is frequently empty at night and on the weekends, and could augment parking space on the City lot next to the new library. The State lot is a block from the building site and will have to be purchased from the State if the entire 400 block becomes library parking space. Use of revolving stacks in the current library Creation of a children's library in a different location, perhaps in an existing building Who will be affected: Over 35 residents. Two of them are over 80 years old and two are over 90. They are very attached to their houses and all of the memories associated with them. One of them is convinced she will die if she has to move. Over 25% of the residents are nonwhite. Both tenants, including long-term tenants, and homeowners will be affected. Structures to be demolished include 2 rental homes, 1 duplex, 6 owner-occupied homes, and 2 apartment houses. The neighborhood is very tight-knit, and uprooting this community is a bad move. Seniors like this neighborhood because it's close to the senior center, shopping, and the police station. It is one of the few neighborhoods in Cheyenne where it is easy and possible to walk almost everywhere you need to go. The reasons people live there are some of the same reasons library proponents want to build there, but these people seem to be myopic about their obligation to the community they are supposed to serve, to say the least. Worries: I am concerned that people might not get compensated adequately for their homes. I learned, from cruising around the net, that the budget is less than what libraries that don't entail neighborhood demolition frequently cost- it's likely they underestimated the price of buying everybody out, in which case they are likely to rip everybody off. I can't speak for all the to-be-dislocated, but I know several of them have already paid their dues to the degree that it isn't even funny. So what can you do? Letting people know how you feel about the proposed project sure wouldn't hurt!!! If you're feeling really gung ho and can afford to, calling these people carries more weight than a letter, email, or fax. In any case, quick and easy links are below. This is upsetting, but please do your best to be as friendly as you can. I am interested in the quality of responses we get so it would be appreciated if you sent those here. Also if you have any ideas about what the heck to do, please send them in this direction! Contact Laramie County Commissioners, or e-mail me what you want faxed. These people definitely don't have e-mail yet (I called to find out for sure!). Getting in touch with them before Dec. 2 would be most helpful, for on that date they are scheduled to meet with residents of the neighborhood. http://www.laramiecounty.com/commissioners/comm.html Jack Knudson Chairman Laramie County Commissioners 310 W. 19th St., Suite 300 Cheyenne, WY 82001 (307) 633-4260 Fax:(307) 633-4267 Jeff Ketcham Vice-Chairman Laramie County Commissioners 310 W. 19th St., Suite 300 Cheyenne, WY 82001 (307) 633-4260 Fax: (307) 633-4267 Diane Humphrey Laramie County Commissioner 310 W. 19th St., Suite 300 Cheyenne, WY 82001 (307) 633-4260 Fax: (307) 633-4267 Contact Legislator Floyd Esquibel Floyd Esquibel is on the library board. fesquibel@house.wyoming.com Contact State Auditor Max Maxfield Max Maxfield helped to promote the library ballot proposition. mmaxfi@state.wy.us Max Maxfield Wyoming State Auditor State Capitol Building Room 114 Cheyenne, WY 82002 (307) 777-7831 Fax: (307) 777-6983 Thank Mayor Jack Spiker for being supportive (sadly he has no say in this since it's a county project): mayor@cheyennecity.org Mayor Jack Spiker Office of the Mayor 2101 O'Neil Avenue, Room 310 Cheyenne, WY 82001 (307)637-6300 Fax (307)637-6378 TDD (307)637-6232 Write the editor of the Casper Star Tribune letters@trib.com Write the editor of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle http://www.wyomingnews.com/services/newsroom/release.asp If you want to let those affected know you support them, please e-mail letters you have sent to me and I will post them here. Please make sure you let me know where you sent the letter(s), too. Need ideas or encouragement? Give these a read. My mom's letter to the editor of the Casper Star Tribune http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2003/11/17/editorial/letters/c3f0d2a4366d7b23cdf38499d8536de6.txt My letter to the editor of the Casper Star Tribune, printed 11/23/03 http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2003/11/23/editorial/letters/a4d340224c57c42587256de5007a4001.txt My mom's letter to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, published 11/20/03 My letter to the editor of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, printed 11/21/03 Gene's letter to the editor of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, printed 11/21/03 My parents' letter to a member of the library board, Barbara Rogers, who has not opened the letter Nancy's statement of support THANKS FOR VISITING! COME BACK SOON! |