Letter to City Council re: May 12 discussion of University Park Library
Want to send your own email? Feel free to cut and paste from this letter or jump to the bottom for a shorter form letter.
To: irvinecitycouncil@cityofirvine.org
Date: Thursday,May 7, 8:44am
Subject: Item 6.3 University Park Library
Dear Mayor and Council,
Thank you to staff and Council for your efforts to clarify future plans for University Park Library.
My name is Michaela Gonzalez Montaner and I am writing on behalf of the Coalition to Save University Park Library, an informal network of community members who are concerned about the future of University Park Library (UPL).
While we understand that there are no plans to close UPL at this time, we maintain that this library faces a credible risk of closure until a long-term lease or other solution has been confirmed.
Nevertheless, we sincerely appreciate that in the staff report, Deputy Director Julie Zeoli says “maintaining uninterrupted library service at this location remains a priority for the City” and that staff will “strategically plan for early engagement on potential extension discussions”.
Committing to service continuity at this location and the proactive stance of staff with respect to the negotiations before them is sincerely appreciated. We ask City Council take this opportunity to clearly affirm their support for this position.
As we have relayed in the past, we are here to support staff and Council in finding a long-term, permanent solution. To that end, we request the following details:
What is “the appropriate time” for the lease renewal discussions?
What is the threshold for “contingency planning should lease terms change in the future”?
With these details clarified we will make plans to (dis)engage accordingly.
Furthermore, we would like to see the City make concrete plans to strengthen their negotiating position with respect to this important County partnership. For example, we would welcome a motion directing staff to improve their negotiating position for the prospect of both a buyout or lease renewal by conducting a property appraisal, engaging a professional negotiator, etc.
In summary, we ask that you:
Accept our gratitude for your attention to this matter;
Clarify (with a date) what “the appropriate time” for the lease renewal discussions is;
Clarify (with specific criteria) what the threshold for “contingency planning should lease terms change in the future” is;
Make a clear and unanimous statement of support for Deputy Director Zeoli's plans to prioritize "uninterrupted library service" at UPL; and
Direct staff to conduct a property appraisal, engage a professional negotiator, and take any other concrete actions Council and staff sees fit to improve our negotiating position with respect to both a UPL buyout and lease renewal.
On behalf of our Coalition's founding members and supporters, we sincerely thank you for your attention to this matter and look forward to the discussion on Tuesday night.
Sincerely,
Michaela González Montaner
for the Coalition to Save University Park Library
Send your own letter or submit an eComment
Click here to submit an eComment or read on for preparing your email.
Remember to introduce yourself! Your name, how long you have lived in Irvine, what village or district you currently reside in, what you do for work, etc. - taking the time to add this makes your email more compelling.
If you have your own ideas about how to secure UPL, please feel free to add them.
Draft text
To: irvinecitycouncil@cityofirvine.org
Subject: Item 6.3 University Park Library
Dear Mayor and Council,
I am writing to urge Council to take every measure possible to secure the future of University Park Library. I fully support the Coalition to Save University Park's emailed statement, asking you to:
Clarify (with a date) what “the appropriate time” for the lease renewal discussions is;
Clarify (with specific criteria) what the threshold for “contingency planning should lease terms change in the future” is;
Make a clear and unanimous statement of support for Deputy Director Zeoli's plans to prioritize "uninterrupted library service" at UPL; and
Direct staff to conduct a property appraisal, engage a professional negotiator, and take any other concrete actions Council and staff sees fit to improve our negotiating position with respect to both a UPL buyout and lease renewal.
While I understand there are no plans to close UPL at this time, the future of this library is in limbo until a long-term lease or other solution has been confirmed.
That said, this is a two-way negotiation. If the County does not want to come to the table at this time, there is only so much the City can do. Because this is an important community asset that we do not have sufficient control over, I ask that you take the City’s disadvantage here seriously. Please make concrete, timely, transparent plans, like those listed above, to improve the City’s negotiating position and ensure the library continues to operate as the staff report intends and the community deserves.
Sincerely,
Your name here
