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Privatized Libraries?
I'm concerned about the proposed redevelopment of D.C.'s libraries, especially my beloved West End branch.
The report of the mayor's task force on libraries is recommending selling "air rights," seeking a "mixed-use commercial development combination" and pursuing "zoning/major neighborhood development." It is interesting to note that these controversial proposals were omitted from the executive summary, the version of the report in wide circulation. Also omitted from the report are the minutes of meetings where air rights and redevelopment were discussed.
If these plans are realized, what can we look forward to? A library tucked inside a behemoth high-rise mixed-use project with a Starbucks, CVS, movie theater, retail stores and stacks of luxury condos that only the wealthy can afford? I fear the library will be an afterthought -- an amenity by developers who stand to profit richly -- especially in the West End, where developers are "salivating" ["D.C. Deal Could Get Schools, Libraries," A section, Feb. 7] over the possibility of developing Square 37, on which the library sits.
Could this "public-private partnership" be the slippery slope toward privatizing D.C.'s public library system?
Deborah Akel
24th Street NW
