Citizen groups step up to help keep library, museum open

Lynchburg citizen groups are stepping up and offering to do their part to help bridge the budget gap.

Tuesday, the nonprofit advocacy organization Friends of the Lynchburg Public Library offered to pitch in $10,000 to help keep the downtown library open on a part-time basis.

Under the budget proposal released by the city manager, that facility would be shut down entirely. Library supporters, however, argue that such a move runs counter to the city’s downtown revitalization plan and will deprive the area of a valuable resource.

“(T)he downtown branch is a vital investment in the cultural, educational and economic future of our beautiful city,” Friends president Margie Lippard wrote in a letter to City Council, adding that closing the library would mean losing a “profound, long-term investment in our citizens’ quality of life.”

The Friends, a citizen-led group that promotes literacy and fundraises for various library programs, made a counter-proposal that would have it dip into its own funds to help out with the cost of keeping the downtown library going part-time.

The city would still have to chip in another $25,000 under that scenario. Those combined funds would then allow the downtown library to stay open approximately 15 hours per week. It currently operates 40 hours.

Council, which held its first budget work session Tuesday, discussed this idea briefly and added the downtown library to the list of issues it wants to re-examine. Officials did not make any extended comment on the matter though.

In another section of the budget, the Lynchburg Museum Foundation, another citizen-led nonprofit, is expected to donate $21,200 to city coffers in order to protect against cuts in museum funding.

The foundation’s contribution, scheduled to come to a vote of its board of directors today, will erase about half the shortfall included in the city manager’s budget and prevent the museum from having to reduce its operating hours.

The museum system would still have to scale back the schedule for the historic Point of Honor house. That landmark, currently open seven days a week, is slated to revert to a four-day schedule.

The foundation is still trying to raise money to help defray those cuts. The theme of its fundraising campaign this year was “Keep The Doors Open.”

“These things save money, but they also create problems,” Rob Craighill, foundation chairman, said of the budget cuts. “When people come to Lynchburg and ask what there is to do here, one of the things is visit the museum and Point of Honor. But if they come and we’re closed, that doesn’t send a good message. It’s just a negative tourism situation.”

Council kicked off its budget deliberations with a special work session Tuesday. Officials plowed through a department-by-department overview of the budget and began assembling a list of items for further discussion.

Vice Mayor Bert Dodson said afterward he appreciated that citizen-led organizations such as the museum and library groups were taking initiative and trying to help mitigate the budget crunch.

“It shows that everyone cares about the city,” he said, adding that in the face of steep cuts in state aid Lynchburg has been left to “take care of its own.”

The Lynchburg Economic Development Authority also has recently offered to pay to keep the economic development offices in their current place at the Bank of the James building. The city was considering breaking their lease there and moving the department back to city hall.

The economic development offices were located in city hall once before, but they occupied a cramped and drab space that officials felt did not make a positive impression on prospective businesses. The economic development authority is run by a committee of citizen volunteers, but it is an offshoot of the city government. Its budget comes from city dollars and income from investments.