Written by The Renton Reporter posted an editorial today in favor of the Piazza library location. There are four specific reasons for disregarding this editorial:
Reason number 1– The editor opens the editorial by showing he is out of step with the Council, the Mayor, and the citizens on this topic
The editor begins his editorial by saying that he personally would not have let the library location go to a vote. In this regard, he disagrees with all seven Renton council members and the Mayor of Renton, who felt that the public should be heard on this issue when we placed the issue on the ballot two months ago. The Renton Reporter editor also disagrees with the 15 % of registered Renton voters who signed a petition asking for a vote. This seems quite out of step with the desires of the community.
Reason number 2– The editor’s track record for accurate library information is not good
The editor claims voters knew, or should have known, they were voting for two new libraries when they voted to annex to KCLS. His statements include “From the beginning it’s been clear that in all formal documents Renton’s elected leaders agreed to build two new libraries.” and “.. it was clearly spelled out that the city would build two replacement libraries for KCLS if annexation should occur.” and “It was also clear (in the 2010 voters’ pamphlet and elsewhere) at the time of the vote that annexation would mean the city would have to build two new libraries for KCLS. “
But two years ago before the KCLS election, the Renton Reporter never informed voters that a vote for KCLS was a vote for closing Cedar River library. In the Renton Reporter editorial of January 27, 2010 a week prior to the KCLS annexation, Dean Radford wrote: “Renton residents will have some local control over whether the city builds a new library, perhaps in the Highlands, if and when a levy to do so is placed on the ballot. That’s a glimmer of local control, although the building would belong to KCLS.” Beyond this editorial, there were four special reports on the KCLS annexation issue; in these reports, the Renton Reporter never once mentioned that the Cedar River Library would be subject to closure with annexation to KCLS. Yet this possibility of closure is obviously an issue of paramount importance to thousands of trusting citizens. (See more on this issue by clicking here) One must conclude that either the editor did not know all the facts when he wrote his editorial of January 27, 2010, or else he was trying to mislead the public. I like Mr. Radford, so I want to believe it was a misunderstanding on his part, but voters need to keep that in mind as they review today’s library editorial.
Reason number 3– The editor cites the lack of clarity in this election, but goes on to support the people who brought us the lack of clarity
In today’s editorial Mr. Radford says, “Unfortunately, what’s really missing today is clarity, especially about the cost to renovate the library over the Cedar.” Of course we lack clarity because (A) there was a deliberate push by the Piazza library supporter to force this library choice too fast, when the plans including re-purposing were far from complete; and (B)the Renton Reporter has swallowed a rushed, secret KCLS study with blatant errors, including double-dipping on contingencies, incorrect mitigation fees, wrong assumptions, and other problems. I agree that this is “Unfortunate,” but throwing support to the people that created this lack of clarity is foolish, especially when they have been found responsible for similar misinformation before.
Reason number 4– The editor uses a circular argument to try to dismiss re-purposing costs, a dis-service to taxpayers
The editor’s words speak for themselves here. Read them carefully. He says; “Don’t be misled by assertions that it will cost the city $10 million (or more) to upgrade it for another use. That’s only true for a state-of-the-art library. The city could continue using the building right away, with no renovation. When the time is right, it could seek the dollars needed to upgrade for a specific use, just like any other city-owned building.” Okay. So Mr. Radford is saying we can continue to use the building as is (as a library?), and we won’t have to pay the millions more until we want to upgrade if for another specific use (like an environmental center). He is agreeing with the exact assertion he is trying to dismiss. It would be laughable except that taxpayers will be on the hook for this future re-purposing expense and they may not know it. They will also be on the hook for annual operating costs for another facility, and there is no budget for this.
Query: reason 3(a) – who is the Piazza Library supporter who made the push to force the vote prematurely?
I won’t name specific names here, but you can find who was pushing for (too much) speed in this article here http://renton.patch.com/articles/renton-moves-forward-with-library-bond-agreement-with-kcls as well as in the city’s minutes from the same council meeting. We had quite a debate on the topic before moving forward on a 4 to 3 vote.
I’ve had a change of heart. After years of advocating that Renton’s leaders stop pandering to the downtown business community shamelessly voting to gift them with millions of citizens’ tax dollars in the form of dubious schemes to revitalize the area I think that now is exactly the right time to listen to a long time local business.
Our leaders in City Hall should follow the example of Big 5 Sporting Goods. Stop spending money trying to drag people where they don’t want to go. Renovate a building at a location where Renton citizens want to be. It’s time to be like Big 5.
Why does the City believe dumping tax dollars into a government project will create customers for business? Library patrons use libraries for many reasons, one primary reason is that it is FREE. Free does not mean free, it means that property owners are paying for it through property taxes whether they use the library or not. Many patrons are not even property owners, so for them, it is truly free. Many property owners do not even know where the libraries are, so they are paying for an unused service.
Downtown Renton does not need government projects at taxpayer expense to ‘revitalize’ the business core. Transit centers don’t help businesses. The vast majority of bus riders I have seen at the transit don’t look like they own a car, let alone would be shoppers at Renton businesses downtown.
How does the thinking of dumping people downtown via bus rides or free library services equate to more business? How does losing more parking spots at an already difficult location to park equate to more business? How does spending millions of tax dollars into these projects equate to more business? They don’t.
The Renton Reporter has supported the City of Renton without question since Denis Law was elected. There is apparently no truth in journalism with the Renton Reporter. Reporting with omissions of truth does not mean the reporting is truthful.
In the end, I believe Renton will get what it deserves. If Law’s legacy is to create decades of a gloomy downtown core and the citizens allow it to happen, then so be it.
I can tell you that the last thing I will ever do is drive circles around the “Big 5 Library” to find parking, avoid being mugged or shot (it has already happened in front of the Big 5), hope my car isn’t damaged or towed or ticketed or all of the above. And certainly, I don’t want to bring my kids to a library where the kids from Renton High School will be hanging out and smoking dope behind the building. And yes, that happens too, all the time, even with Renton Police stationed in the next building.
Look. All you library people are wrong! We need the Piazza library for downtown land values to go up and make Renton a large city. We don’t need that thing over the river – we need progress. Progress means kicking the past to the curb, not clinging to it like some baby.
If the Piazza didn’t raise property values enough to encourage new growth in downtown Renton then why would you think that putting a library there would do so? You need to look at the facts as they really are and that Big 5 lot will not efficiently serve as a library in any way. Neither will it bring in new businesses. There are answers to “fixing downtown Renton” and they are being ignored.
Big Ben = London
Eiffel Tower = Paris
Cedar River Library = Renton
You library crackpots need to listen. We’re not taking your precious library away. It’s going to be an environmental interpretive center to explore salmon and their habitat. We’ll sort out the funding and taxes later.
Oh, what fun. We will get to go to the present library site and explore salmon. Maybe they will do synchronized swimming just for our pleasure. We will also get to go the new library site and do the calculus on parking like we have to do when we go to downtown Seattle. I love math, especially when I am trying to find parking and avoid gouging fees. I am so eager to live in a “big city.” Why didn’t we think of this before — oh — that’s right, the past has no value.
So I was walking down 3rd street in south Renton replenish my meth supply and this hobo walked up to me and looked straight into my eyes and unzipped his pants.
Of course, even though I didn’t want to, my mind had to see what was going on and I looked down at what he was trying to expose. Instead of typical rancid hobo genetalia, I saw he had fashioned some sort of crude diaper out of a Piazza Library sign.
He’d obviously been using it for several days and I quickly walked on before he could begin to pester me, but it got me thinking and made an impression on me.
Could the Piazza campaign signs be better than the Cedar River Signs – our hobo friend obviously found them of better use.
It’s a fact that no Renton City council member or mayor has endorsed the Piazza location* while council members Greg Taylor, Marcie Palmenr, and Randy Corman have endorsed the Cedar River Library.
But, could this Hobo’s endorsement of the Piazza Library balance that out? I’m thinking it does – so I think I may for the the Piazza Library. Or I may order a Pizza . I’m not sure.
*8/1/2012 pretty much nobody endorses the Piazza Library: http://www.piazzarentonlibrary.pcbroke.com/piazzarentonlibrary/?page_id=25
Interesting.. check the PDC filings for the Piazza Group. The largest donation comes from a developer.
So what! There’s nothing to be ashamed about. Look people, developers are smart and hard working so that’s why they’re supporting the Piazza Library.
So people who aren’t developers, and/or who want to keep our full share of library space, with meterless parking, are stupid and lazy?
The 7th largest city in this state deserves to not have a diminutive library, wherever it winds up. And human beings, whatever size town they live in, deserve to not have deceptive stunts pulled on them by governing bodies they trust and voted for (although I don’t recall who got to vote for Ptacek and his crew.)
Whatever is done with the river building will be expensive and a pain in the neck–but at the end of it we will either have a nice new library or…what? In hard economic times, a library will help more people than an ill-visualized environmental center.
A library can contain books that will tell us all we need to know about how to take better care of the river and its fish. But an environmental center could not possibly hold all of the other things that libraries provide.
Libraries come first, and we need a big one. Let’s keep it over the river.
Here’s a press release. Referencing the 20 Jul issue of the Renton Reporter in which the Editor’s comments appeared, accompanied by comments made by Mayor Law, a complaint with PDC was filed against the Mayor of Renton, Denis Law, yesterday 2 Aug, alleging that the mayor did not follow PDC guidelines in conducting an interview regarding Prop 1 (the library ballot) with the Renton Reporter in his official capacity, and that the Mayor cited cost figures that had not been approved by the City in an apparent effort to turn the election, (http://www.rentonreporter.com/news/163213386.html; http://www.rentonreporter.com/news/163246226.html) which is not going well for the Piazza supporters.
City Council member Rich Zwicker, speaking on the same subject, was quoted as saying, “I cannot speak on behalf of the council on this topic and my personal opinion is immaterial until after the results of the election are certified” (http://www.rentonreporter.com/news/163759406.html)
Mayor Law, who was warned about the possibility of litigation against the City of Renton by KCLS in this matter by City Attorney Larry Warren in a memo of 18 Mar 2012 (http://www.scribd.com/doc/85517903/Memo-City-Attorney-Library-Initiative), is apparently advising voters that the City’s own cost estimates (which were printed as part of the explanatory statement in the voter’s guide) are likely wrong, and that the cost estimates by Bill Ptacek of KCLS are the credible estimates.
It is beginning to look like the City is in over its head. Despite repeated questioning, the City has not explained how it would pay for renovation of the Cedar River library building for an alternate use if it loses KCLS as a partner in the renovation. Renton Facilities Director Peter Renner warns that any expenditure over 1.9M will trigger automatic requirements to bring the building up to full compliance with all applicable codes, including State energy codes, building codes, seismic upgrades, Federal ADA standards, costs which have been variously estimated at between 5 and 10M dollars, according to engineering studies published by KCLS http://www.kcls.org/about/board/2012/06192012/boardagenda.pdf.
Want to vote but don’t have a ballot? For those eligible voters without a ballot, voting is as easy as going on line, printing a ballot, and mailing it in. King County elections advises people who have not voted to go to the following website http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections.aspx and click on “need a ballot?”, print out the ballot, and mail it in as directed. Unlike in former years, the deadline for hand dropping a ballot at the Grady Way drop box is 8PM on August 7. In the last election, turnout was in the low 30-ish percent, and the annexation to KCLS was decided by 53 votes out of 12700.
KKL
Well said, Randy. Thank you. As a communication professional, I find it frustrating and mildly patronizing when media calls its readers to “know facts,” and yet disregard media responsibility to present accurate and compelling information in line with democratic principles. However, the latter may be too much to ask for publications who may value their business stakeholders first. While understandable, as in the paper needs to make money to at least cover cost, and papers face difficult times, I appreciate media professionals who put the business need in service to the democratic principle and accountability of our ideal for “freedom of the press.”
What I find disturbing about the reporting of the Renton Reporter (RR) is that it seems to be directed by special interest groups. These small groups seldom represent the interests of the public.
The “Our View” column on the editor’s page isn’t signed by the editor. Who is the “our” in “our view”? If it is several people that make up the editors column then they should all sign the piece. It is required that all letters to the editor be signed so the same should be true for “editorial comments/opinions”
The editor has obviously decided to put his personal views above investigative reporting. One is left to wonder why he and The RR have so vehemently decided to toe the line of the few that want Big 5 to replace the Cedar River Library.
How many of the RR reporters actually live in Renton? I don’t believe they necessarily need to live in Renton but one does objective reporting.
I believe that it is important to have a local newspaper but only if it reports truths and not spoon fed misinformation.
The only reaction readers have is to cease reading the RR and to choose not to trade at the places that advertise in it. These are drastic moves but they are necessary if we cannot get straightforward reporting.
Those of us that have been working on keeping the Cedar River Library know that the costs thrown out by the RR, KCLS and a few others have no basis. Renovating the Cedar River Library cannot cost more than building a new library at the Big 5 location where there is no convenient parking and there are safety issues AND it wouldn’t “fix” the downtown problem.
We also know that the legal problems with KCLS that keep popping up in print are nothing more than smoke screens. To have our own city attorneys and executive join in this façade is even more disturbing. Is our city government becoming ingrown and forgetting who they actually represent? How many of our city administrators live in Renton?
KCLS is totally supported by our property tax dollars! To have KCLS even threaten to sue the very taxpayers that support it is ludicrous. I think our state legislators might not think that is the right thing to do to taxpayers. In fact it is Renton tax dollars that are paying for the updating of the Cedar River Library and the building of a Highland Library over and above the property tax dollars we are now paying for KCLS services!!! So what is KCLS’ beef?
The Cedar River Library doesn’t need a complete renovation but it does need some updating. If the updating means closing the library for a bit then the computers and library functions can be temporarily moved into the old city building next door. KCLS has done this before and they can do it again.
If Renton city government and KCLS management can’t update the Cedar River library economically then they shouldn’t be doing it at all.
We will have to watch KCLS and the City closely as they make decisions for renovating/updating the Cedar River Library. I would like to believe that they will be circumspect in this but recent experiences have not built trust.
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