Resident supports library expansion
To the editor:
I attended the last Fort Myers Beach Library District Board meeting. I am embarrassed to admit that it was my first, but I was not alone.
For those of you who weren’t there, it was an unusually well attended event spurred generally by the recent controversy over the planned expansion of our library’s facility, services and collection.
I was glad to take the opportunity to speak during the public comments portion of the meeting in support of the expansion project. As a Beach resident, taxpayer and library user, it is my view that our public library, like all others, is a treasure chest of information that is open and accessible to all who choose to take advantage of it.
All of us who pay property taxes contribute to the funding of this precious resource. Unlike other items on our property tax bills, we each have the opportunity to decide how much value we choose to receive for our contribution. Some will choose to receive none and may resent their small portion of the bill. Frequent library users, however, I believe recognize and appreciate the value inherent in each and every visit. And, the more often one actually uses the library, either by selecting a jewel or two to borrow from that treasure chest, accessing the internet or attending a class or event, the cheaper that “library” line item on your tax bill becomes.
It should be noted that due to the foresight, planning and hard work by our all-volunteer library board, there is no tax increase planned or expected for this expansion. But even if there were, at the cost of a new hardback book these days, any increase could easily be absorbed by reading just one or two more books per year.
I look forward to patronizing the new Fort Myers Beach Public Library.
Gayle A. Timcak
Fort Myers Beach