INTELLIGENCER NEW ERA
The following appeared under “[Kevin] Fry named Convention Center chair”:
“I just wanted to say thank you very much,” [former State Senator Gibson] Armstrong told him. “It was great working with you. You got it to the finish line.” Morris, in return, thanked Armstrong for helping find $3 million in financing to close a funding gap the project experienced before the start of construction.
WATCHDOG: Visitors and staff of the Lancaster Public Library on Duke Street may feel differently because Armstrong had promised the $3 million towards renovation and expansion and the library ended up aborting the project and being out over $1.5 million.
Over 1300 Lancastrians rely on this downtown library every day. How many use the Convention Center?
While resources are not unlimited, just because the convention center gets $3 million doesn’t necessarily mean that the library misses out.
We are currently facing a 53% budget cut if the proposal goes through. It’s hard enough that the library is continuously in a deficit, but loosing more than expected can only result in less hours of operation, less staff, and less free programs.