By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Former Mayor Randy Kincaid has been named to chair a citizen task force that will organize fund-raising and volunteers to support Davidson’s public library branch as big budget cuts take effect in the coming days. A group of volunteers – including several who were involved in a similar effort nearly 20 years ago to build the local library branch – met Tuesday to organize the task force and begin developing plans.

At Tuesday’s meeting, volunteers decided to split their efforts into what Mr. Kincaid called “two work areas.” One group, to be led by vice-chairs Kim Fleming and Heather Roberts, will work on fund-raising. A second group, led by Cristina Shaul, will begin plotting how to organize, train and schedule volunteers – an effort that organizers hope eventually will allow the branch to expand from four days a week to at least five.

The task force grew out of efforts by Mayor John Woods to reach an agreement with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and county officials that would keep open the library branch on the Village Green. The Davidson branch along with similar community branches in Cornelius and throughout the county and City of Charlotte, were slated to be closed with the July 1 start of the new fiscal year because of big budget cuts by the county, which provides most of the system’s funding. But last-minute pledges of cash and in-kind contributions allowed library officials to adopt a less-drastic budget that cuts staff and services, but keeps community branches open.

As part of that plan, Davidson officials agreed to undertake a fund-raising campaign to contribute $175,000 to keep the branch open at least another year.

“The task force feels a sense of urgency,” Mr. Kincaid said, adding that he hopes fund-raising can begin “ASAP.” Task force members are studying the possibility of a campaign built around the sale of engraved bricks that would be used around the library. Mr. Kincaid and Mayor Woods both said Wednesday they hope the fund drive can raise more than $175,000 – providing money for other improvements or to help sustain the library beyond this year.

“We don’t have all the details pulled together. We are working on that right now. We expect (the fund drive) to begin this summer, and we expect it to be a grass-roots effort from the community,” Mayor Woods said.

“We hope that it will involve some kind of physical enhancement of the library or around the library somehow – landscaping or building,” the mayor added.

REMEMBERING THE 1990s

The fund-raising campaign would be reminiscent of one that emerged in town in the early 1990s, after Mecklenburg County officials in 1991 announced that they were considering closing several north Mecklenburg branch libraries, including Davidson’s. At that time, the library system was plotting a shift away from community branches and toward large regional libraries, like the one eventually built in Huntersville at Sam Furr Road and Hwy. 21.

But Davidson and Cornelius residents organized and persuaded library officials to reconsider. Davidson College pledged the site on the Village Green. And a community fund-drive in Davidson raised more than $236,000 – about $100,000 more than its goal – to help expand and furnish the proposed branch, and provide an endowment for future operations. The town’s Library Endowment Committee still exists, and uses annual income from its $100,000 endowment to help the library director with needs not funded in the library budget, according to Library Endowment Committee chair John Kelton.

Mr. Kelton was among the leaders of the 1990s campaign. He said this summer’s effort is “certainly similar, in that it’s going to involve the whole town in showing their support for a library.”

This campaign will be slightly different, he said, because it’s raising $175,000 simply to help fund the library’s operations for a year, and “to meet the pledge that the town made.” But he said he’s optimistic. “I feel that we’ll raise more than that. I think the community will rally behind it, so we can keep our local library open.”

Mayor Woods told DavidsonNews.net that any money raised beyond $175,000 would be contributed to the Davidson Library Endowment Fund, “for future contribution to the Davidson library.”

OTHER TASK FORCE MEMBERS

Other members of the library task force will include Mayor Woods, Town Commissioners Margo Williams (who will help with fund-raising) and Connie Wessner (volunteers), former Davidson College President John Kuykendall and wife Missy, former Davidson College librarian and Library Endowment Committee member Leland Park, former commission Jane Avinger, Kathy Pearce, Kristen Coupal, Yuki and Cornelia Hijiya, Annie Porges, and Sandra Whitten.

Mayor Woods said the task force will work closely with Ellen Giduz, manager of the Davidson and Cornelius library branches.

The volunteer subcommittee will begin a search for volunteers, and help develop training and work schedules to they can supplement the library’s paid staff.

Library Director Charles Brown was in Davidson last week to discuss the town’s efforts with local officials. He welcomed the proposal to organize volunteers, and said he hoped it could become a model to be used across the library system to help other branches.

RELATED COVERAGE

June 24, 2010, “Library trustees OK budget, fewer hours this summer”

Read background information on the library budget crisis and town efforts to keep the branch libraries open, CLICK HERE>