Twenty-four years ago, the people of Port Angeles approved a bond measure to build a new main library.
That spacious building still serves its community well, with large meeting rooms and plenty of room for people, collections, and technology.
During the last twenty years, the Sequim library has increasingly become too small to serve the needs of its community.
Built in 1983, when Sequim’s population was only 14,000, the library now serves a population of 30,000 despite the challenges of limited seating, shelving, computers, parking and mobility access.
Libraries provide a place for book clubs, art classes, local events and computing classes.
Many parents see the library as a safe place where their children and teens can study and do homework.
For those who live alone, libraries offer company and culture without having to purchase a product.
In 2017, 9,617 people attended 298 library programs.
More than 5,500 community members used the single meeting room for 512 separate events.
Sequim is in desperate need of a larger, updated library.
Proposition 1 (creating a tax district) and Proposition 2 (funding) need to pass in order to make this happen.
The average cost, for those of us who own property within the tax district, is estimated at approximately $5 per month.
That is basically the cost of a latte or less than two gallons of gas a month.
If the library expansion project is delayed, the cost will only increase and the community will continue to lack a suitable, much needed and valuable public resource.
Terri Tyler,
Sequim