Columbia County Commission
digs in, puts children at risk - approves unsafe library
Columbia County, FL (posted
January 19,
2010)
by Stew Lilker
Columbia County's "good ole boys" never fail to
disappoint and at the December 17, 2009 County
Commission meeting they were disappointingly true to
form when they dug in their heels and approved the
bizarre and dangerous floor plan for the proposed new
Fort White library.
Columbia County's management style is one whose
hallmark is notorious for working in the shadows under
the cover of darkness; deciding everything behind closed
doors; then mugging the public with the fruits of their
deception. The design for the new Fort White library is
another classic example of this, only this time the
county fathers and the county manager, through their
stubbornness, have put the children and residents of
Columbia County at risk.
From the architect's drawing it is clear that the lobby,
front entrance and hallway to the bathrooms are out of
sight.
In September of 2009, the Observer discovered the
worst: The plans of the secretly designed Fort White
library were in their very final stages of completion
and the architect was a week away from submitting the
"Advanced Schematic/Design Development" level package,
which consisted of, in the words of the architect,
"floor plans, elevations, sections and schedules."
In plain English, this means they were just about
ready to go.
At no time during the development of the floor plan
of the Fort White library had the public or the library
staff been asked for their comments.
At the end of September 2009, the Observer pointed
out to County Manager Dale Williams the tragic flaw in
the design of the library interior. It was impossible to
see the entrance of the library from the front desk
[circulation desk] in the newly designed library and
that the staff working the desk had their backs to the
front door.
During the County Manager's presentation, Com. DuPree,
Bailey, and Williams could barely hold their heads up as
the faulty plan was projected for everyone to see.
The Columbia County solution – cover up, remove the
book drop from the director's office and put in a window
in its place, making it impossible for the library
director to maintain any privacy what so ever.
On October 6, 2009, County Manager Dale Williams
responded to an e mail from the Observer regarding the
lack of transparency in the design of the Ft. White
library:
I hope anyone who has any suggestions or comments
about the library design in Fort White will provide them
for consideration. The final floor plan will be approved
by the Board of County Commissioners. The approval of
the final floor plan has not been scheduled, therefore,
time allows for input. For the record, the draft floor
plan was designed by an architect. I can’t imagine why
anyone would try to perpetuate that a library was
designed in private. I can’t imagine for what purpose.
Dale
The Observer's responded:
a) Because it was. b) Because these things should be
exposed. People don't like that stuff. And they don't
like it more and more. c) All anyone has to do is look
at the floor plan to see that it is all screwed up and
the folks around here with common sense clearly were not
asked nor encouraged to give their input. Look at the
drawing. No one can see the entrance from the front desk
and originally, instead of a window in the manager's
office there was a book drop, which gave zero
visibility, unless one stuck their head in the book drop
and looked out. It would be hard to imagine that any
architect worth his salt would design a library with the
checkout counter facing 180 degrees from the front door
Please. Do you really think everyone is an idiot?
County Manager Williams arranged to have poster board
schematics put in the county's libraries and shoe boxes
with 3x5 cards were set nearby for comments. It is
unknown what comments were received, as they were never
presented to the County Commission.
On December 17, 2009, at 7:35 pm, the "good ole boys"
of Columbia County, without one comment about the floor
plan, unanimously rubber stamped a bizarre and dangerous
plan for the entrance of the new Fort White library,
putting the children and everyone who uses the library
at risk.
In Columbia County it's business as usual.
Comments
On January
20, 2010 - RL wrote:
Dear Editor: We are a family living in Fort Myers
Florida and will be relocating to North Central
Florida within the year. We have been evaluating
housing, schools and services in this area to choose
the best location for not only us but also our
three elementary age children. Going to the library
weekly has been a tradition that we are passing down
from our parents to our children. I have never seen
a design of a library such as the one you depicted
on your website. The libraries and even branches of
libraries in Gainesville, Alachua, and those areas
all have bright open spaces with the librarians at
the front desks able to view who is coming and who
is leaving. As a matter of interest, our library in
east Fort Myers has a real police officer sitting at
a table near the door for extra security. Are you
certain that the Library in Fort White is as
depicted? Will there be a police officer on duty for
security by the front door? Thank you. RL
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On January 22, 2010 - Brian of Ft. White wrote:
I have lived in Fort White for almost 6 years. I
have also lived in other places in my life: Dayton,
Ohio, Chicago, Illinois, Washington, D.C.,
Jacksonville, Florida and Orlando, Florida; and
visited numerous other places throughout my 41
years. In none of those places have I ever seen such
a retarded floor plan of a public building. I am
left wondering about the I.Q. of the designer, for
being willing to put his name on it, and even more
so, the Columbia BoCC for even considering this
floor plan. Certainly there was no common sense
approach taken to the design. How can it be
considered a 'front desk' when it has no view of the
lobby or the public point of entry? And a window for
the library director? And suppose he/she DOES see
something improper occur. Are they going to jump
thru the glass? By the time they pick the phone up
it's over, all that's left is a police report and
the hope the perpetrators are eventually caught.
Part of the reason 'front desks' are positioned at a
point of entry is the perception of security - most
criminal acts would not occur the perpetrator knew
they were being watched. Yes, there are a few idiots
who would do it anyway, and many time those people
are called politicians - hence why we have this
utterly ridiculous public library floor plan...
Brian