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Residents urge Arlington County Board to save Cherrydale Library and restore collections funding
Summary
At a lengthy FY2027 budget hearing, dozens of residents and civic groups urged the Arlington County Board to reverse a proposal that would cut library collections and close the neighborhood Cherrydale branch, citing long wait times, high local use and walkability concerns.
Hundreds of residents filled the Arlington County Board chamber to oppose proposed cuts to the public library system, with a steady stream of speakers calling on the board to restore a roughly 17% cut to the library collections budget and to abandon a proposal to close the Cherrydale neighborhood branch.
“While the library budget is one of the smallest line items in the county’s overall budget, its impact is among the largest,” Sarah Lanford told the board, citing projected e‑book wait times rising from 17 weeks in 2023 to 72 weeks by 2027 under the manager’s proposal.
Friends groups, civic associations and hundreds of individual residents described Cherrydale as an accessible, walkable third place for readers, parents with young children, older adults and job seekers. Greg Embry of Citizens for Cherrydale Library submitted a petition the group said had 1,320 signatures at noon the day of the hearing; other commenters said turnout at programs and annual circulation make the branch cost‑effective.
Speakers repeatedly stressed that Cherrydale’s value goes beyond circulation statistics. “It’s a neighborhood center, a cozy third space,” Claire Christian of Friends of the Arlington Library said, adding that Central Library is not a practical substitute for families who rely on a short walk to their local branch.
Board Chair Matt Dranty did not announce any decisions at the hearing. He reminded the public that the manager’s proposal is an opening point in a deliberative process that includes work sessions and amendment windows; the board recessed the hearing and will continue the budget discussion on Thursday, March 26.
What happens next: the public hearing will resume later this week and the board will consider amendments before formal adoption. Speakers asked the board to weigh small line‑item savings against programs they said provide outsized community benefit.
