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Board presses for action on Rio Rico and Sonoita library community rooms, plumbing and phone issues
Summary
Board members described repeated difficulty getting county action on community rooms adjacent to branch libraries, raised accessibility and furniture shortages, and reviewed recent building walkthrough with the interim city manager.
Board members reported persistent facility and access issues at branch libraries in Rio Rico and Sonoita and urged county and city officials to move on repairs and equipment requests.
At the Rio Rico update, the chair (board chair) described frustration that county action on a community meeting room adjacent to the Rio Rico Library has lagged despite repeated requests. The chair said the room’s availability demonstrates the facility’s value for community meetings and that efforts to secure county support had been “really discouraging.”
Vice Chairwoman Havel reported that the Sonoita community room — which opens directly from the library and is county-managed — lacks tables and chairs and is often reserved by a separate county program (Arizona@Work). She said the women's group has set up a children’s section and repaired the layout, but fax, printer and telephone services at Sonoita are inconsistent, and staff cannot reliably make outgoing calls.
Karina, filling in for Director Denise, provided the director’s report and recounted a recent walkthrough of the Nogales (Grand Avenue) city library with interim City Manager Joel Kramer. Board members and contractor Christian Hernandez inspected structural and accessibility issues including a cracked cement sidewalk, a broken window, flooring in need of replacement and shelving needs for branch locations. Hernandez suggested a long ramp to improve accessibility.
Board members noted donated shelving had been removed from the main library entrance and sent to other institutions across the border and to a VFW post, which reduced on-site shelving capacity. Librarians plan to request funding for new shelving in the upcoming budget cycle.
The board requested continued follow-up with city and county managers and asked staff to place facility repairs and furniture needs on next month’s agenda for further action.
