A proposal to consolidate departments raised concerns from library staff and several city commissioners. It will be considered again later.
By SHANNON TAN
Published March 10, 2004
LARGO - City commissioners on Tuesday shot down a staff proposal to consolidate the library department and the recreation, parks and arts department.
With the new Largo Library opening and the library director retiring next year, the city staff thought the time was right to coordinate programming between the departments. But the proposal affected morale among library employees, who wondered if the move would turn into a takeover.
The consolidation would not save any money but would do away with overlapping functions in areas such as fundraising.
"The purpose is to better serve the public," Assistant City Manager Henry Schubert said. With a state-of-the-art library going up in Largo Central Park across the street from the cultural center, it was logical to combine the cultural arts, education, nature and family activities, some said.
Sue Porter, a member of the recreation, parks and arts advisory board, said the combination would be her idea of heaven: an endless supply of iced tea, tons of books and a park with a jogging trail, as well as a women's restroom with no lines.
But the proposal left library employees with many unanswered questions, library director Barbara Murphey said.
They wondered if the library's focus would shift to recreation and leisure, whether library staff would have to staff recreation events and whether the integration would affect potential donors and the recruitment of library employees.
"I can tell you this has not been good for morale," Murphey said.
The same issues were raised when the recreation department was merged with the parks department. There were naysayers then, said Joan Bryne, director of the recreation, parks and arts department.
But after the change, she said, "the whole became stronger than the sum of its parts."
Commissioner Pat Gerard, a frequent library user, was concerned that the proposed consolidation was "forced" and "unnecessary."
"I'm completely opposed to this," she said. "I love this library. I think we have the best library in the county. I don't know why we want to mess with a winning formula."
Commissioner Charlie Harper said he wanted to get more input from the community.
"Why are we doing this?" he asked. "Why are we spending this much time working on a proposal like this?"
Vice Mayor Harriet Crozier opposed the proposal. Commissioner Pat Burke said she supported it but "can live with it either way."
In the end, most agreed with Mayor Bob Jackson, who suggested taking more time to think about a proposed consolidation.
"I think we need more time to make sure the identity of the library is not going to be lost," he said.
"There's got to be some convincing we're not absorbing another department" into the recreation, parks and arts department, Jackson said.
