TOWANDA, Pa. — It was a packed house Thursday morning at the Bradford County Courthouse in Towanda.
County Commissioners addressed the media regarding the future of the Bradford County Library located in Burlington.
"Simply put, we are not putting a padlock on that building and locking it up and welding the door shut. That building will continue to function as a public facility," said Comm. Daryl Miller, (R) Bradford County.
County Commissioners say they will vote soon on scaling back the county library.
The proposed plan would see the Bradford County Veteran's Services office moving from Towanda into the library location.
In addition, the building would include a space for the public to use.
"Our homeschool communities, our youth are still going to be able to utilize the resources there. There are a number of computers used there on a regular basis; those will continue to be there," said Miller.
According to the commissioners, this decision is due to budget reasons.
The Bradford County library had a budget of $455,000 for 2023. That makes up one-half of one percent of the county's overall $83 million budget.
The county argues that the library is not utilized enough to justify its current budget.
Interim Library Director Rebecca Troup-Hodgdon disagrees. She says data has been provided to each commissioner regarding the library's usage.
"As the state mandates, the system headquarters needs to be open 65 hours a week. That requires additional staff, which also means an additional cost."
Under the proposed plan, the Bradford County library that exists today would be no more.
Families told Newswatch 16 that they would be devastated to see that happen.
"It would be pretty hard for us. It has saved us lots of money, it is helpful for us that way. It is a meeting place," said Jennifer Kilmer of Towanda. "My oldest daughter has checked out hundreds of books over the years."
Angela Kopetan travels about ten miles to the county library in Burlington because the building fits the needs of her son.
"We have everything on a flat surface. We can get in and out easily. We can get around the library easily, and there is lots of space between the bookshelves. Our home local library is Towanda. That is not easily accessible for my son in a wheelchair. It has a high curb; it is on a high hill, and there is no parking for the children's library."
Commissioners also detailed where some of the county library's budget would go under this plan.
"We are looking to repurpose those monies, some of them, to help facilitate and serve the other libraries in a more efficient manner, utilizing tax dollars," said Miller.
None of those eight other libraries is affiliated with the county. The next commissioners meeting is set for September 14 at the public safety building in Towanda.
There is an online petition to save the Bradford County Library. It already has more than 2,000 signatures.