News

SALTSBURG--Just shy of its 100th anniversary, the Saltsburg Free Library could become relegated to the pages of history.

Citing a shortage in funding and a decline in patronage, library officials said the local resource center will close Aug. 1. A mass resignation of current library board members also is expected next month.

"Financially, that's what we have to do," Library Board President Melissa Hall said of the announced closure. "We've run out of ideas and options."

Hall expressed hope that the library might be able to reopen with a reorganized board.

"We'll close until we have an official meeting with our accountant," she said. "Then we'll have to reevaluate."

Another library board member didn't appear optimistic about the future of the institution this week.

"The basic problem is there's not enough money in this community to sustain the library," said Kelly Corridoni, treasurer of the library board.

Corridoni said there have been generous contributions from local businesses and individuals, but the money coming in has not kept pace with the costs of operating the library.

She said the library, which has an average annual budget of about $37,000, operated in the red in 2005 before recovering somewhat in 2006.

But, she added, "In 2007, we lost twice as much as we made in 2006."

Hall said one of the library's main fundraising efforts, a duck race held during the town's annual Canal Days festival in early June, "wasn't too bad" this year. But, she said, the board lost money on two other recent events: a jewelry bash and a golf bash.

"We didn't sell enough tickets, and we lost money because of what we had to pay out" for prizes, she explained.

Corridoni indicated she believes the library has fallen victim to a combination of rising costs and a general trend of dwindling funds that can be tapped for such facilities in small communities where many families are straining to make ends meet.

"There's actually nobody to blame for this," she said of the pending closure. "It's nobody's fault."

"We're a struggling entity and, I think, a struggling community," she said.

Corridoni and Hall did cite various factors that have had an impact on the library's finances.

According to Corridoni, Saltsburg was among a handful of local libraries that "fell through the cracks" several years ago, when state aid to libraries was reduced.

As a result, she said, Saltsburg Free Library was no longer able to accept the state funding. She explained the cost of completing a required audit and meeting other prerequisites exceeded the amount of aid being offered.

Hall indicated the library had been receiving nearly $5,000 in state aid before the amount was slashed.

Corridoni said the library also faced an annual payroll of $11,000 for its librarian and assistant librarian. She pointed out that a recent increase in the minimum wage came with an attendant increase in costs for worker's compensation insurance.

Hall noted the library had been forced to use a $10,000 bequest to cover salaries and other expenses. "What we're running on is the bare minimum," she said.

In an effort to make ends meet, the library has cut back its hours twice in the past year and increased membership fees for those living outside of Saltsburg Borough. No new books have been purchased this year, Corridoni noted.

Previously, Hall indicated the library was open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 10 a.m to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

According to head librarian Sybil Pistininzi, current hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.

She said patronage is down to about 700 members.

A year ago, out-of-town membership fees were increased from $5 to $10 for individuals and from $10 to $15 per family. Senior citizens are charged $5.

Pistininzi said the library has discontinued lending books and is requesting that those who have materials on loan return them.

Pistininzi, who has been employed with the library for more than six years, said closure of the library is particularly going to impact the youngest and oldest members of the community.

She noted the library could not offer a reading program this summer due to financial constraints. "It's going to hurt the kids because they really enjoyed that," she said.

"The older people are going to suffer," she added. "For some, reading is all they have to pass the lonely nights."

Beyond public fundraising efforts, support for the library has included an annual $5,000 donation from Saltsburg Borough and Internet service provided by the Blairsville-Saltsburg School District.

Corridoni said the Gates Foundation donated computers to the library. But they have become outdated.

Pistininzi said the library's complement of working computers has been reduced from seven to three.

Hall noted the library had enjoyed free rent at its location in the upper level of a downtown Saltsburg shopping plaza that is anchored by a Shop 'n Save supermarket. That arrangement was part of an initial lease agreement with then-owner Boyd Bell in the late 1980s, when the library moved to the plaza from the former P.D. Shupe home at 521 Salt St.

Gary Wheatley, current owner of the plaza building and of the supermarket, said that lease expired in June, after 20 years. He indicated the rental fee he had requested under a proposed new agreement with the library was less than $300 per month.

While the library paid for phone and electrical service, Wheatley said he had not charged for water or sewage use at the facility.

Corridoni, who noted Wheatley's store was among businesses that supported the library, said the prospect of paying rent for the site was not a deciding factor in the announced closure of the facility. She noted that borough council had discussed providing assistance with the rent.

"It's not an astronomical amount," Hall said of the rent. But she said paying any amount would be difficult when the library is short on funding.

In addition to money, the volunteer manpower needed to keep the library operating has been in short supply, Corridoni indicated.

She pointed out that all of the board members are holding down full-time jobs while overseeing the library and organizing fundraising efforts. A Friends of the Library group provides some assistance, she said.

Hall noted two resignations have reduced the library board from six to four members. But Corridoni said there was no response to advertisements that were placed in local newspapers in an attempt to recruit new members.

Corridoni said the decision to close the library has been some time in coming and was not made lightly.

"This is not just something that happened overnight," she said. "To no avail, we've been talking for three years and we've been saying that we're in financial distress."

Speaking for the board members, Corridoni said being stewards of the library "has been a passion for all of us."

Hall noted some board members have made personal financial contributions to help keep the library afloat.

"I've loaned the library money, but I can't do that anymore," Corridoni said.

Corridoni said she intends to resign from the board effective Aug. 15 and expects other remaining board members will follow suit. At that point, she said, "We'll turn all the books and assets over to our accountant for safekeeping."

"Unless something drastic happens," Corridoni said she would be surprised if a new board can be formed to take over the library and keep the institution viable.

While aware that the library had been struggling, Wheatley, said he was surprised by the decision to close the facility.

He said he first learned of the decision to shutter the library early this week when his staff showed him a copy of a notice of pending closure that was posted on the door of the library.

He said he'd been planning to meet with board members to discuss the library.

"We were supposed to have a meeting and we haven't had one," he said Tuesday. "I thought there wouldn't be any change (in the library's status) until there was a meeting.

"I'm surprised that they decided to say they're just going to close it."

Wheatley said he would like to see the library continue to operate.

"It's a plus for the community," he said. "I'm hoping that it all gets worked out."

P.J. Hruska, vice president of Saltsburg Borough Council, said he would like to meet with the library board to seek a solution to the institution's dilemma.

Hruska confirmed that council has offered to assist the library with rental payments "until they can get back on their feet."

The library moved into a space at the plaza that was vacated when Latrobe Hospital's Saltsburg Family Practice moved into new quarters elsewhere in town. The plaza's upper level also includes the offices of a dentist and a tax service.

• Most Read
• Most E-mailed
• Latest News