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The Daily Tar Heel

Expansion not priority

Plans to borrow $16 million for library expansion could be better used

The Chapel Hill Public Library might be one of the top public libraries in the state, but plans that call for the town to borrow approximately $16.3 million to expand the existing facility are excessive.

Dried-up revenues have forced the town to make funding cuts to vital programs. Spending millions of dollars on a library expansion should be at the bottom of the list.

When the budget tightens and spending is reined in, local government must focus on maintaining the status quo and keeping citizens safe.

Expanding a library does neither.

The Chapel Hill Public Library is a great institution that has come a long way since its opening in 1958.

The new expansion is part of a long-term plan to ensure that the library continues to accommodate the needs of the growing local population.

But adding more library stacks pales in comparison to making sure citizens are safe and are provided with adequate services. The town and Orange County have more pressing issues.

For example, a study by the Gillings School of Global Public Health recently found the drinking water of citizens living in the Rogers-Eubanks area contaminated with fecal and E. coli bacteria due to a lack of proper water and sewage lines.

In 2008, several pedestrians were killed in road traffic accidents in Chapel Hill, some of which were attributed to a lack of pedestrian crossings and traffic lights. Perhaps a portion of the $16.3 million going toward the library expansion could help provide people safe passage across busy streets.

And the list goes on.

In the middle of a budget crunch, local government must be able to differentiate between what its citizens need and what they want.

A $16.3 million public library expansion is not a necessity. Plans to expand the public library either need to be placed on hold or scaled down until more pressing priorities are addressed.

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