Demolition of the old branches and construction of the new facilities were supposed to begin in spring 2005, according to the August 17 Washington Post. But a task force appointed by Mayor Anthony A. Williams recommended changes to the plans, and the construction company’s contract was terminated in October 2005. The new branches are not expected to open until the end of 2008.
Protesters said the closed Daniel building was a focal point for violence and vandalism, at least until the library put up a 12-foot-tall chain-link fence at the beginning of August. In an August 10 letter to Alex Padro, president of the Daniel/Shaw Friends group, DCPL Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper said that the library grounds had been cleaned up and would continue to be cleaned regularly.
“We’re not real comfortable with their promises,” Padro, a rally attendee, told the Post. “A lot of lip service is being paid to the community input.”
The library plans to park bookmobiles with eight computers each near the closed branches beginning in September, according to NBC affiliate WRC-TV. In addition, DCPL spokesperson Monica Lewis told American Libraries that interim libraries will open in each of the communities served by the closed branches by the end of the calendar year.
Posted August 18, 2006.