@ North Delridge Neighborhood Council: Library changes, and more

Karen Spiel is leaving the Delridge Library – but it’s not part of the budget cuts related to the schedule changes that kick in next month (as reported here earlier today). At the North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting at the library tonight, she revealed she’s being promoted to manage eight branches including Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, Fremont and Capitol Hill. Spiel’s been a librarian in West Seattle since the 1990s; her successor will be Steve Delvecchio, who will manage the Columbia branch as well as Delridge. (At another meeting happening concurrently – Southwest District Council – we got the scoop on the rest of the final West Seattle library lineup: Jane Appling says she’s managing Southwest and South Park branches, Sibyl De Haan will be in charge of High Point and West Seattle [Admiral].)

More from the NDNC meeting – including changes it’s facing because of the library changes, and more – ahead:

The library’s new hours were the first item on the agenda, as the NDNC will have to move, since the library will not be open Wednesday evenings. Nancy Folsom had contacted Youngstown Arts Center, which had an opening on Tuesdays. NDNC co-chair Jay Mirro said other members had talked with school officials about days and hours Boren (temporary home to Chief Sealth High School) might be available. Mirro is going to round up the options and e-mail them out by Friday with a response expected by the 15th.

At the end of the evening, he suggested that the group send a letter to new Mayor Mike McGinn. The first item suggested was the new restricted library hours. General consensus: The library is especially helpful for young people in the neighborhood and cutting off hours and reducing days is a bad idea as the library provides homework help to a good many kids.

Other suggestions for inclusion in the letter included a general summary of what NDNC has done to improve the neighborhood, talking about West Seattle’s importance in relation to the rest of the city, and inviting Mayor McGinn to come out and join them for an Adopt-A-Street cleanup, or a work party along Longfellow Creek. (The next Adopt-A-Street, by the way, is Saturday, February 6th; join the group outside Delridge Community Center for coffee and snacks before heading out; other dates to save this year are April 24th, August 7th, November 6th.)

The next Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, Jan. 20 (7 pm @ Youngstown), will consider the last two street projects that will go to the city for pricing and study. The two that have made the cut are the proposed sidewalks on 18th near Sanislo Elementary and some sidewalk work along Brandon from 23rd to Snake Hill.

1 Reply to "@ North Delridge Neighborhood Council: Library changes, and more"

  • cam w January 8, 2010 (8:23 am)

    Way to go, Karen!

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