Submitted by Carl Luna
“Awake! Fear! Fire! Foes! Awake!” (Fredegar Bolger, The Fellowship of the Ring).
OK, this is not as dramatic a call to action as Fredegar’s to his fellow Hobbits (but if one is pitching a call to action in support of the Library, a literary reference is a cool intro, no?). But it is still an important call. After years of discussion and a year of subcommittee work, the City Council looks to finally be taking up the proposed Winn Room Renovation at its August 20 meeting. This is a critical moment for all of those who a) value the Library and the tremendous programs Library staff and administration provide our community; and b) believe our Coronado Community should be served by a fully renovated, state of the art community meeting, civic engagement and program venue able to fully meet the needs of the dozens of organizations and thousands of community members who use the Winn Room annually for the next five decades and beyond.
Of the five options being considered for Winn Room Renovation (go to https://www.projectcoronado.org/library-winn-room for details) the Friends of the Coronado Library and the Board of the Trustees of the Coronado Library have both voted support for Option 4.
- Only Option 4 would expand seating in the Winn room from the current 130 to over 200 seats (the current professional standard for library community meeting spaces) allowing the holding of larger, more comfortable and enjoyable author talks and cultural, civic and community events.
- Option 4 both raises the currently low claustrophobic room ceiling and expands the room footprint providing the best option for lines of sight and acoustics.
- Option 4 opens up the Winn to take full advantage of its North Spreckels Park arboreal setting.
- Option 4 returns the greatest long-term community value for renovation dollars.
- Option 4 is simply the best option to turn our 1970s vintage Winn Room into a truly 21st Century Community space.
Your attendance at the August 20 council meeting to express support for your library and Option 4 is critical. If you haven’t spoken out in support of Winn Room Option 4, this could be your last chance to do so! Copies of the meeting agendas can be found at www.coronado.ca.us.
With Gratitude,
Carl Luna
President, Friends of the Coronado Public Library
