Library director considers quitting - Sentinel & Enterprise

What a TRADJEDY for the People, especially the Children of Fitchburg. I am sure there are lots of other things the City could cut down on without losing the Library !!! Shame on the city leaders for voting on this, what a terrible lapse in judgement !!!!!

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Public Library's are wonderful. I use the library in Leominster every few weeks.

If people want to use the library its just a few miles away in Leominster.

Joyce from Fitchburg wrote:

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Public Library's are wonderful. I use the library in Leominster every few weeks.
If people want to use the library its just a few miles away in Leominster.

I am a former Fitchburg resident and a librarian in another Massachusetts community. You misunderstand, losing certification means that you will NOT be able to borrow from surrounding town libraries. Leominster taxpayers should not be responsible for providing library services for Fitchburg residents. Even if Fitchburg does stay open limited hours, with a budget cut of that size, Fitchburg residents will NOT be able to borrow from any other library in the network. This would be a huge loss to not only the children of the city, but a large number of residents. Please encourage your city leaders consider all of the ramifications of this short sighted plan.

Concerned Librarian wrote:

<quoted text>
I am a former Fitchburg resident and a librarian in another Massachusetts community. You misunderstand, losing certification means that you will NOT be able to borrow from surrounding town libraries. Leominster taxpayers should not be responsible for providing library services for Fitchburg residents. Even if Fitchburg does stay open limited hours, with a budget cut of that size, Fitchburg residents will NOT be able to borrow from any other library in the network. This would be a huge loss to not only the children of the city, but a large number of residents. Please encourage your city leaders consider all of the ramifications of this short sighted plan.

Do people realize that if one dollar is cut from the library budget, certification is lost?

It sucks that the inter-library loan is lost for those people that use it, me being one of them.

The library has clearly been mismanaged.

Remember last year when the director b****ed about possibly not getting her raise? Do you think this person will really be missed?

Tough times call for tough actions. In the grand scheme of things, the library is an afterthought.

Losing 4 cops and 14 firefighters (12 unfilled, 2 cut) sucks worse. Get your hands on the budget and DOR report. Makes for painful reading.

Nice attitude of the Director. Taking a "I'll show them" stance by saying she just may close it all together. Yeah, that will teach them! I remember very well last year when she was complaining about her raise and crying wolf at budget time. She made more than the mayor at that time! She still makes $35/hour. Not bad money for working 21 hours a week.

The Lions Club, The Civic Days people and another huge group holding up traffic all over the city this weekend with "Toll Booth" donations. These people step right up to your window in traffic and think nothing of squeezing money out of your wallets while the city is laying off Police, Firefighters and closing the Library all the while why raising taxes (prop 2.5), raising water rates, sewer rates and now implementing trash fees and fee after fee on us. The city should not be allowing these people to pressure residents into donations when we are continually being made to cover the costs of political incompetence.

Close it down. Use the remaining funds to purchase memberships to the Leominster library. The memberships can be given to the neediest families. Families that do not qualify for the Fitchburg subsidized memberships may purchase their own membership. If enough families are purchasing memberships, Fitchburg can elect to reopen their library and residents can continue purchasing memberships. Or, charge rental fees for books. Think of it like Blockbuster.

NOT a good attitude, Wirtanen. You are a city employee. Does this attitude make anyone else wonder what is going on at the library? Get to work or get another job. It sounds like you have too much time on your hands. Have you forgotten you are public servant? When I used to work in the public sector, the public (including our supervisor)CONSTANTLY reminded us that taxpayers pay our salary. It sounds like there is not enough of that being said in Fitchburg.

Wow! Where is the "intellectual" community of Fitchburg going to go when the library closes?

Tattoo parlor? Bars? Crack dens?

Give it up - trying to push a library on the Fitchburg community is like putting an apron on a pig.

JDF wrote:

Close it down. Use the remaining funds to purchase memberships to the Leominster library. The memberships can be given to the neediest families. Families that do not qualify for the Fitchburg subsidized memberships may purchase their own membership. If enough families are purchasing memberships, Fitchburg can elect to reopen their library and residents can continue purchasing memberships. Or, charge rental fees for books. Think of it like Blockbuster.

The point is you can't just purchase a membership in another library. Most libraries in Massachusetts will not lend to members of a decertified community. Your city must have a certified library in order to have borrowing privileges at other libraries.

I think it's a disgrace and an embarassment that Fitchburg would even consider letting the library close. Mayor Wong promised change and revitilization of the city. How can you entice any business to invest in a city that doesn't even have a library. My taxes keep going up and the city keeps talking about more increases but I get less and less every year. It's very disheartening and disappointing.

Don B wrote:

I think it's a disgrace and an embarassment that Fitchburg would even consider letting the library close. Mayor Wong promised change and revitilization of the city. How can you entice any business to invest in a city that doesn't even have a library. My taxes keep going up and the city keeps talking about more increases but I get less and less every year. It's very disheartening and disappointing.

IT'S NOT CLOSING!

It will still be open 3 days a week. Hopefully with Ms. Wirtnan long gone!

So that people can understand the problems facing Fitchburg, this quote is from the State DOR report
(and also found in the S&E Article What is Fitchburg's Financial Standing..)

"The report says that Fitchburg is in the bottom 5 percent among the state municipalities for per capita income and has a number of children in the school system that are identified as low-income as being twice the state average. The foreclosure crisis has also disproportionately affected Fitchburg, the report states."

Thus so a man who sold pants...could run the city. He did just that...RIGHT INTO THE GROUND!

Shut down the library, and basically this city, which Mylott ran into the ground, so that many homeowners could save more money on taxes, and allow government to go to waste.

Oh yeah, they a have a big police force. Too bad they cannot afford it? Ask the homeowners to override Prop. 2 1/2 to do that (like FPD Lt. Deacon went before the city to do..), and yet Mylott and the homeowners said no.

But yes, they hired the cops, and yet they are still making large drug busts. Lousy return on the money spent (Good after bad..since the City didn't really have the money..)

Now close the library. So that we can keep education away from poor kids in Fitchburg. Basically what this city is now, is a ring of fancy homes on the outskirts of Fitchburg, with a slum ridden mess. Kids don't have to go to school, they can learn things that aren't taught in books. How to steal, drink alcohol, do/sell drugs, and how to become career criminals.

Yes, Fitchburg is a microcosm of what conservatism does to a community, and a country as a whole. People who have the most, trickle down to down trodden.

So when a kid with nothing better to do steals a car, or dies on your finely manicured front lawn, ask yourself if this is your tax dollars at work.

If you say yes.......a fool and his money has been parted!

Ashley wrote:

Wow! Where is the "intellectual" community of Fitchburg going to go when the library closes?
Tattoo parlor? Bars? Crack dens?
Give it up - trying to push a library on the Fitchburg community is like putting an apron on a pig.

Ashley: Here's the problem with your statment.

While you are correct on the current State of the City, if left festering.....it moves into communities such as Ashby, Ashburnham, Townsend, Lunenburg, Shirley, Leominster, and Westminster and yes even Sterling..

I don't think they want Fitchburg problems. Furthermore please read this quote from the State DOR report:

"The report says that Fitchburg is in the bottom 5 percent among the state municipalities for per capita income and has a number of children in the school system that are identified as low-income as being twice the state average. The foreclosure crisis has also disproportionately affected Fitchburg, the report states."

This is VERY SERIOUS. Basically things are NOT going to get better (especially with high gas/food prices). With the economy getting worse (and the full effects have YET to have come to Massachusetts...), the city needs to be putting some emphasis to educating kids or for that matter those within it's borders.

Not doing so, we will have a society that puts out kids that basically go into one business...CRIME.

Annon wrote:

The Lions Club, The Civic Days people and another huge group holding up traffic all over the city this weekend with "Toll Booth" donations. These people step right up to your window in traffic and think nothing of squeezing money out of your wallets while the city is laying off Police, Firefighters and closing the Library all the while why raising taxes (prop 2.5), raising water rates, sewer rates and now implementing trash fees and fee after fee on us. The city should not be allowing these people to pressure residents into donations when we are continually being made to cover the costs of political incompetence.

AMEN!!!!!!!!!

Concerned Librarian wrote:

<quoted text>
I am a former Fitchburg resident and a librarian in another Massachusetts community. You misunderstand, losing certification means that you will NOT be able to borrow from surrounding town libraries.

For those who haven't seen this from the DOR report...I'll say it again!

"The report says that Fitchburg is in the bottom 5 percent among the state municipalities for per capita income and has a number of children in the school system that are identified as low-income as being twice the state average. The foreclosure crisis has also disproportionately affected Fitchburg, the report states."

Now I am not sure where you come from, but yes you are correct about the rules pertaining to inter-library privleges. However the point is that this city is hemoragging from all sides at a time when this countries economy is bordering on collapse.

The mismangement has happened at a time when this country has found out what conservatism has done for our country, and communities. When it costs more to put gas in your car, and you have to decide whether you eat today or not, this is a reality that is coming. Fitchburg/Massachusetts has not felt the same things as what is happening in California. People making $8.00/hour sleeping in their vehicles. That is coming to Fitchburg.

Dear Librarian: I feel bad about this. But if the Librarian cannot take a less for a salary, and for that matter the library cannot cut it's hours...then it will probably have to close.

Not because the Mayor wants it to...but when the forclosure crisis gets to it's maximum in Massachusetts...the only thing people will worry about is where their next meal is, and what roof they will have over their heads!

Wow is this Police Chief out of touch.
Let’s recap:

July 2007

12 Dispatcher positions eliminated
2 New Officers resigned

April 2008

1 Officer retires
1 Sergeant retires

July 2008

8 Officers to be cut
3 Civilians to be cut

Total Police Department employees cut 27 positions cut!

27 positions cut wow!

Fitchburg FireFighter wrote:

Wow is this Police Chief out of touch.
Let’s recap:
July 2007
12 Dispatcher positions eliminated
2 New Officers resigned
April 2008
1 Officer retires
1 Sergeant retires
July 2008
8 Officers to be cut
3 Civilians to be cut
Total Police Department employees cut 27 positions cut!
27 positions cut wow!

This toilet of a city is flat broke.. with all the rest of the departments also being slashed, where is the funding coming from ???Everyone is bitching but no one is offering solutions. No one wants trash fees, so there is more money right off the top. Come up with some constructve ideas instead of complaining. No one wants cuts but there is more than one department in need of funding and I don't see anyone standing in line to loan the city money.

Concerned Librarian wrote:

<quoted text>
I am a former Fitchburg resident and a librarian in another Massachusetts community. You misunderstand, losing certification means that you will NOT be able to borrow from surrounding town libraries. Leominster taxpayers should not be responsible for providing library services for Fitchburg residents. Even if Fitchburg does stay open limited hours, with a budget cut of that size, Fitchburg residents will NOT be able to borrow from any other library in the network. This would be a huge loss to not only the children of the city, but a large number of residents. Please encourage your city leaders consider all of the ramifications of this short sighted plan.

WE CANNOT ONCE UTILIZE OTHER LIBRARIES WE LOSE OUR ACCREDIATION!!!! Haven't you been listening/reading? Do you want us all to go out and get P.O. boxes and lie to "become" Leominster citizens?