Vote Yes and the state pays (almost) half

Dear Editor,

If there were no grant monies available to help pay for a new Oregon library, I would still vote “yes”. I firmly believe that the value would outweigh the cost.

For the first time ever (and most surely the last), the state has made available 50 million construction dollars for only the most inadequate library facilities.

Oregon is one of only 16 libraries in the entire state to be awarded a portion of these funds. That speaks loudly to the condition of our current library building.

If we can secure the remainder of the funding, the grant will pay almost half of the construction cost.

If we are unable to pass the referendum on April 9, the money will pass on to the next town on the list and we will lose the 3.67 million dollars.

My only goal when I joined the library board 17 years ago was to get a new library.

I came to realize that many long-time Oregon residents have had no experience with a modern library.

Having been underserved for generations by a woefully inadequate, poorly run library, they simply didn’t know what they were missing. (Thanks to a dedicated and skillful director, we now have an extremely well run, but still woefully inadequate, library.)

Modern libraries continue to play a vital role in the fabric of a community. Mt. Morris has gone through 2 library expansions in the last 50 years.

Since the last one in 2002 their usage has increased by more than 40 percent, with no population increase whatsoever.

If we pass the referendum on April 9 my property taxes will increase less than 5 percent.

To me, that seems like a very small price to pay for a building and a service that will have a significant positive impact on Oregon for many generations to come.

We all know that times are hard and taxes are high, yet I am fully convinced that this is a very good,necessary investment in our future.

Please don’t let this opportunity pass us by. Vote “yes” (twice) on April 9 or, better yet, after Feb. 27 you can vote early at your convenience.