When Buncombe County announced it would close the 57 year-old Swannanoa Library, the decision was met with shock and outrage from residents.
Many mobilized at last night’s Buncombe County Board of Commission meeting for the public comment period. Around 20 people spoke, urging the county to reconsider its February decision to close the library and affirming the crucial role that it plays in Swannanoa’s tight-knit, lower-income community.
It appears that commissioners got the memo ahead of time. At the start of the meeting, Commissioner Brownie Newman requested to add an item to the agenda regarding the library’s closure.
“I know there’s a lot of folks interested in the future of library services in Swannanoa. We wanted to have a moment for the commissioners to discuss the issue,” Newman said.
“We appreciate all the interest in this issue. Part of this motion is to increase the runway to discuss what the future of library services in this county can be. We’re looking for a good discussion of what can serve Buncombe County in the long-run.”
Of the 20 people who spoke at public comment, many reacted to the news with cautious optimism and appreciation that the county heard their pleas.
Katie Hadden said she was “pretty excited” and “surprised” to hear that the county changed its tune about the library. “I'm so pleased that we are at this intersection of aligning with each other rather than having to try to be heard,” she said.
She added that she hopes the county will keep residents more in the loop moving forward.
“You've got a troop here ready to go to work. So please put us to work and help us help you keep this library.
Several residents, including Matt Barker, expressed frustration with the county’s lack of transparency around library facilities.
Barker, a Swannanoa resident and board member of Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa, said he was concerned about how the decision to close the library was made “with the exclusion of essential stakeholders.”
“It was a real shock when this decision was made without any public deliberation. It was just delivered to our community without any warning,” he said. “A decision to close this library is short-sighted. If you look at the comprehensive plan for 2043, Swannanoa is identified as a key growth corridor.”
He continued, “We just want to have a voice.”
Takira Rose, a library assistant at East Asheville Public Library, echoed these concerns.
“There was no lead-up to the fact that this was about to be announced. It lacks details about implementation and it seems to lack empathy for the people who are impacted by these decisions,” she said. “It's also hard to understand whether there is any comprehensive vision for the future of library services in our county and how these decisions fit into a larger positive vision that we're striving towards.”
No one spoke in favor of closing the library.
Justice Rogers, a fourth-generation Swannanoa resident and vice chair of the Swannanoa library advisory board, spoke about how the library created opportunities for him as a child. In fact, he said, sometimes he would skip school to go there.
“As a child [the library] was where I went to go places that I couldn’t physically go. The library took me to those places,” he said. “And as a federal law enforcement officer, I have the opportunity now to travel to those places in real time. And that’s all because of the library.”
Aaron Ernst, another Swannanoa resident, said “the Swannanoa Library exists for and by the people of Swannanoa and it accomplishes that in spite of its faded paint and some other issues,” he said. “Not to say that it’s perfect, but it represents a community that has endured much and continues to thrive.”
Commissioners voted unanimously to maintain operations at the library’s current location until a new place is identified.
This isn’t the first time the county has proposed shuttering libraries. In 2021, a $81 million library plan, developed by the Dallas-based 720 Architects and commissioned by the county, advocated for the closing of the Oakley/South Asheville Library, Black Mountain, and Swannanoa branches in favor of fewer, larger facilities, Mountain Xpress reported.
After community outcry, commissioners voted to keep those library branches open.
The county revived the issue of library closures in mid-February, when it announced in a press release that it would close the Swannanoa Library, effective June 2024. The release said the county would grow services at the East Asheville and Black Mountain Libraries to make up for the closure.
The county cited the poor condition of the library and said it required $635,000 in repairs. The press release also cited a 2021 condition analysis that ranked the Swannanoa location as the worst of its 38 county properties. On a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (great), the library received a 1.69.
“Change is never easy. We know this may be disappointing for those neighbors who utilize this library, but operationally, we just can’t justify these extensive ongoing costs,” wrote Assistant County Manager DK Wesley in the February 13 release.
According to the county, the Swannanoa Library serves around 20,000 visitors each year and has the smallest footprint of any Buncombe County library.
Other tidbits
- The county is partnering with the Land of Sky Regional Council to apply for a Recovery Housing Program grant that helps provide stable housing for people recovering from substance use disorder. The grant is funded by the North Carolina Department of Commerce and could provide upward of $1 million for property acquisition and development, public facilities, clearance and demolition, and payments on rent, utilities and repairs. There will be another public hearing on the process on April 2.
- After an RFP for the project, commissioners agreed to pay $648,990 for a contract with D.H. Griffin to demolish a vacant building at A-B Tech’s Enka campus. The work will include disposal of hazardous materials, recycling, disposal of materials, and more. The project is expected to take around six months.
- Stacey Wood has been appointed as the county’s interim deputy clerk. Wood replaces previous clerk Lamar Joyner who held the position since 2018. Joyner’s resignation will be official March 15.
- Commission approved three board appointments: Kyle Guie for Agricultural Advisory Board for Farmland Preservation, Pepi Acebo for Early Childhood Education and Development and Nancy Waldrop for Buncombe County Planning Board.
Every first and third Tuesday, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meets at 200 College Street, Room 326 in downtown Asheville beginning at 5 p.m. See the full recording and agenda of the March 7 meeting.
