Library Board Seeking Ways to Restore Sunday Hours

A request by Garden City Library board chair Randy Colahan to transfer $32,158 in unused State Retirement System funds from the 2012-13 budget into the 2013-14 budget in order to restore the library's Sunday hours of operation never made it to Thursday's final village board meeting agenda.

Colahan's letter was included in the online agenda but was missing from the hard copy agenda available at Thursday's meeting.

The letter "didn’t make the final agenda and has yet to be acted upon," village administrator Robert Schoelle confirmed.

The library is currently closed on Sundays now through mid-October. The library board voted to continue being closed on Sundays beginning in mid-October, one of several moves made this year to close a $234,638 budget gap.

But at their June 10 meeting, library trustees agreed to "re-examine" the decision. The Sunday closure would save roughly $29,000 according to former trustee Jack Pascal.

The decision was disappointing for some patrons. Marie Elena Monaco said the Sunday closure would be an inconvenience for those who work and students who use the library on weekends. "Haven't we learned yet that business people work during business hours? Whether you use the library for leisure reading or for serious research, you visit the library after work and on weekends! Students also use the library on weekends to finish school projects. Closing on Sunday is just wrong!" she commented on a previous Patch article.

Another Patch reader agreed, stating that the closure would force residents to go to other locations to get what they need. "Couldn't you choose a different day or ... open a bit later across the board so working residents can continue to use the facility?" the reader asked.

A final decision is expected some time in September, according to Colahan.