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Publicly Pondering
My name is Alison Miller and I am a Northglenn resident and writer. I have worked as a reporter for three years, and my true love lies in community journalism. I have three young boys who I hope will inherit a better city than we have now, and therefore I activly follow my local government and other entities. I have a mixed view point on most things. On one hand, I approach everything from a reporter's stand point-facts and current happenings only. On the other hand, I am concerned about where our beloved Northglenn is headed and, therefore, let my heart and mind look to the future and ponder the what ifs. As with most citizens, I want what is best for our city and for our leaders to be held accountable for making that happen. If you read my blog, I sincerely hope you will find it educational and enjoyable. Happy reading and take care!

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~AlisonMiller

Council should be ashamed
Contributed by: Alison Miller   on 10/13/2006

As a Northglenn citizen, library user and mother it it with a heavy heart I am writing this. Our beloved city is about to lose one of its greatest assets and one of the most essential things families look for when they are considering moving to a city-our libary.

The council members who voted against the resolution to build a library on either the towers or Winburn Park site should be ashamed of themselves. There has been such double-talk from council on the issue, it's no wonder the citizens feel like they can't trust you.

The worst offender has been Rosie Garner. Ms. Garner herself-council representative to the library district- wrote the con statement for the election blue book, has said on record she hopes the mill levy fails and almost had authorities called on her when she verbally attacked and made a volunteer handing out flyers for the library feel threatened. Yet she claims she is "not against libraries."

The resolution clearly stated the library would only have to be built on one of the sites after public input on which they'd prefer. Councilman James Miller worked extremely hard to make the situation agreeable to all parties involved and did a great deal of public outreach. Rangeview came to the table with genuine intentions and the majority of our City Council did nothing but waste time, make excuses and play games.

The reason given for not using the towers property was to preserve it for a possible future City Hall location, yet the Mayor has publicly said on numerous occasions the Century Theater property and other locations were being very seriously considered for a new City Hall. Not to mention the fact we will lose our library while she and her cronies try to figure out how to persuade the public into agreeing to a new City Hall that may not even be on that site.

The Winburn Park site was, in my opinion, the best idea to come out of the city in a long time. How beautiful it would be to have a state-of-the-art library as a cultural ammenity situated in a beautiful yet unused park. The reasons behind not using Winburn were personal on the part of the Mayor and other council members. They don't like that they made promises years ago to keep it as open space without foresight as to how they may one day need to go back on that promise. They don't like that such a great idea was a product from a fellow Councilman they don't like. More than everything though, they don't like the fact that they were put on the spot to make a decision, through their own fault, without having time to process the political ramifications to their own careers.

They voted no on the resolution that merely gave Rangeview the possibility to build on whichever site was most beneficial to the city during a Saturday special meeting with minimal public exposure. Then they each sat and proclaimed they support libraries, and desperatly wish there could be one in Northglenn at their next public meeting. How dare they insult the public with their outright deception of the issue.
The citizens who have been asked in public forum, privately on the street and via email overwhelmingly want a library branch in Northglenn. It is something the Council could have done for the city that would not have costed the taxpayers any more money than they would already have to pay should the ballot question pass and they open yet another branch in Thornton.

They spend millions on property on 120th and leave it sit, they don't have the money for the most basic city upkeep, and they use emminent domain to take a property (the towers property) for a City Hall that never was built and left the property sit vacant all these years.

Our children are being handed a city they would not be blamed for wanting to move out of. Their present day is also being threatened. How are they to compete academicly without the proper resources that can only be found at a library? Furthermore, what is to become of those who rely on internet access at the library because they don't have the means to have it at home. What of those who are learning our language and culture there, who hold their meetings there, who use it as a refuge from reality, or are using it to better themselves or their lives through education and job hunting? Do they mean nothing to Council?

The Rangeview Library District is in terrible financial crisis. They need help to keep their doors open and provide essential services for all of our communities. I hope 5A passes, and when it does I hope the council members who have put us in the position to lose our library will have a sense of remorse when they remove the stacks of books from our branch...lost forever.

Somehow I doubt they will.


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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments
Submitted By: James Miller
posted on 11/8/2006 @ 7:35:44 AM
Rated Blog Entry
Now the big question is what the Northglenn City Council is going to do since ballot question 5a passed. They will need to assist in anyway to get Rangeview back in our City to build a new library.
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Submitted By: Brendan Leonard
posted on 10/19/2006 @ 11:30:43 AM
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Awesome blog, Alison. Hope to see more from you.
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Submitted By: Leonard Avery
posted on 10/14/2006 @ 6:44:46 PM
(Not Rated)
Well that is interesting. And all these things go on in the open in the city hall meeting? Or are they having secret meetings again? Maybe the minutes of ALL meetings should be posted on Northglenn's webb site. Sarge
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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Alison Miller

Northglenn , CO

Alison Miller has posted 1 blog entry and 0 comments since joining on 9/5/2006. Alison Miller 's average blog rating is 5.
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