DISMAY OF MCFARLAND SITUATION

I read with dismay the May 1 article that McFarland was considering moving its Police Department into the library, thereby displacing it.

How incredibly shortsighted and unfair. This library is very important to the children and adults of McFarland.

Libraries in Kern County are vastly underfunded, which is a related issue for another time. I want to relate to you the story of a tiny town in Oregon, Athena, population just over 1,100.

In the early-2000s, the town made a serious commitment to have a new library. Athena has had a library for more than 100 years and it was time for something new.

In 2008, it was completed and it was beautiful. Open and sunny and so very well done.

That year, I spent a couple of months in Athena helping to care for my elderly sister. That library saved my life and I spent a lot of time there. Among other things, I was able to use one of its computers to write my sister’s obituary. I know that if the people of McFarland and local leaders would put their heads together and make this a serious priority they could find ways to save the library AND have a better facility for the Police Department.

There must be funding sources that could be tapped to make this happen. Maybe Supervisor David Couch could take the lead and stand up for the library.

— Carol Lair, Bakersfield