County commissioners vote to keep Swannanoa Library open

Elected officials direct staff to ‘continue and improve' services

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
March 7, 2024

Buncombe County Commissioners voted, March 7, to maintain operations at the Swannanoa Library, which was set to close in June. Photo by Fred McCormick

Less than a month after Buncombe County management announced plans to close the Swannanoa Library, county commissioners, in their March 7 regular meeting, voted to maintain services in the current facility.

The motion, brought forward by District 1 Commissioner Terri Wells, was approved with a 6-0 vote.

In a Feb. 13 press release, county officials announced plans to cease operations in the building, owned by the nonprofit Swannanoa Community Council, beyond June 29. The small structure adjacent to Grovemont Square has been home to the library for nearly six decades.

The decision, according to county management, was based on a 2021 condition analysis of facilities within the library system. The study, conducted by a consulting firm, estimated the structure needed approximately $635,000 in repairs.

County employees called the move an “operational decision,” although commissioners, in November of 2021, directed staff to maintain the county’s current facilities.

Swannanoa residents, many of whom spoke at the February and March meetings of the board of commissioners, expressed shock at the decision to eliminate services in the community. Elected officials discussed the library on Thursday night, following the approval of the consent agenda and before public comments.

Wells introduced a motion supporting the “exploration of options to continue and improve library services in the Swannanoa Valley,” adding the commission’s preference to continue services at the existing location while future options are developed and implemented.

Board Chair Brownie Newman expressed his support for the motion while bringing awareness to the limitations and challenges associated with the structure.

“We’re looking for a good decision around what can best serve this part of the county in the long-term,” he said.

A follow-up press release stated that the commissioners voted to maintain operations in the current Swannanoa facility until a new location in the Swannanoa Valley is identified.