Letter to the Editor: Misled on the library

Much has been said recently about the construction of a new library in Winter Park. Unfortunately some of the comments by the mayor and others have been misleading. Here’s another view:

The mayor has stated on several occasions that the petition being circulated is illegal. I am not aware of any court that has ruled in that manner. City’s legal council “may” feel that way. Our council says our actions are perfectly legal. The city clerk has made some comments regarding the legality of our petition. Under the charter she has no standing to make those comments in her official capacity.

I am a member of the petitioners’ committee collecting signatures to prevent the construction of the new library in Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Why are we doing this?

The citizens recently approved a referendum authorizing the city to issue bonds in an amount up to $30 million dollars to build a new library, events center and parking structure. Period! The mayor states that everyone knew the library would be built in MLK Park. I disagree. Neither the ballot language nor the ordinance authorizing the referendum stated where the library would be built. In fact, during a commission meeting when the ordinance was being voted on one commissioner wanted to specifically say in the ordinance that the library would be built in MLK Park. The commission said “no.” Publications put out supporting the new library made it clear that all the renderings shown of the structures were just that — renderings. Nothing was said to the effect that the MLK site was locked in concrete. Our signature circulators have reported to us that some people “knew” where the library would be built but that most did not and of those many would not have voted for the referendum if they knew where it would be built.

Why is that?

MLK Park is probably the worst option available to the city for the location of the new library. Without going into detail — this huge structure would adversely effect the environment in MLK Park. Traffic at the corner of 17-92 and Harper Street is already bad and will get worse even without adding a library. Removing an essential element (our library) from the core of the city will in time denigrate Winter Park as a special place.

As a result of the approved referendum the city has the legal authority to build the library anywhere in the city it wants. However, it never bothered to get a consensus of the citizens to support the MLK site for a combination library, events center and parking structure before the referendum. As a result the mayor has unnecessarily divided the city on this issue. It’s time to take MLK Park off the table and get real as to a proper location for the new library in the core of the city. The only way we can do this is through our citizens’ initiative authorized by the city charter. If you have not already signed our petition and wish to do so, contact our petition coordinator, Sally Flynn, at email [email protected] Someone will be in touch with you. If you believe as we do, we urge you to sign the petition. Our motto is simple. Library yes! In MLK Park no!

— Joe Terranova

Former mayor of Winter Park

Member of the petitioners’ committee