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Residents press council to release $9.9M and study options for Cecil B. Moore Library
Summary
Multiple community leaders urged full release of funds for renovation of the Cecil B. Moore Library, demanded a feasibility study on expanding or building above the current site and warned that relocating or reducing community input would harm neighborhood access; sponsor Jeffrey Young offered a working group and said he is open to a feasibility study.
A chorus of residents and community leaders at a May 1 City Council hearing urged council to release previously approved funds and to carry out a feasibility study before deciding the future of the Cecil B. Moore Library.
Speakers representing neighborhood coalitions and community groups said the library is an anchor for six North Philadelphia neighborhoods and that recent plans did not reflect community preferences. Paul Brown, a school psychologist and Rivertown‑Charlevoix Neighborhood Coalition youth lead, told council that piecemeal actions that leave communities without a clear plan mirror the school‑closure process and urged full funding for the library’s renovation.
Multiple speakers said roughly $9,900,000 has been secured for the Cecil B. Moore project and asked why the monies have not been released for community‑driven renovations. Siobhan Neitzel, a patron and neighborhood coalition member, urged that a feasibility study be completed that tests options “to build above and in front of the library,” and that the results be shared with residents so all options can be weighed.
Several public commenters also warned that relocation or a change in footprint could increase travel distances for schoolchildren and reduce neighborhood access, and they expressed concern about decisions that appeared to align library redevelopment with nearby institutional interests.
Councilmember Jeffrey Young, the resolution’s sponsor, responded repeatedly that he supports a working group and said he is open to a feasibility study; he invited community members to join a working group to craft next steps and review options in partnership with the Free Library and capital projects staff.
The committee did not vote on any measure. Speakers on both sides asked for transparent timelines and community participation; councilmembers said they will follow up with a working group and additional information to be provided to the public.
