In addition to shutting down the library, the council voted to close the recreation center and other services for at least six months and to lay off 51 employees, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported March 31. Deputy City Manager Steve Bass said he didn’t know whether the facilities would reopen in October when the new fiscal year begins. “That’s going to be totally up to the city council,” he said.
Although the council had considered simply cutting back the library’s operating hours in order to maintain eligibility for state grants, City Manager Chuck Barnett said in the March 30 Star-Telegram that the city ended up closing the facility in order to retain two essential code-enforcement officers.
It’s uncertain whether Bedford residents will be able to turn to nearby cities for library services: Although Euless and Hurst have shared reciprocal-borrowing privileges with Bedford, Euless City Manager Joe Hennig said the closure means the interlibrary program will no longer be in effect, and Hurst officials said they will monitor the situation before taking action.
A few Bedford library staff will remain at work for the next few months to process materials already ordered, and roving maintenance crews will keep an eye on the building, said Bass.
American Library Association President Carol Brey-Casiano, director of the El Paso Public Library, told the newspaper that she believes that Bedford is the first city in the state to close its library.
Posted April 1, 2005.