DEAR EDITOR:

By now, so many residents from the Mahoning Valley have heard the cries from the citizens’ group that has taken on the task of saving our Poland Library. As a member of the group, I am proud to say that not only have the people heard from us, you can practically hear the collective heartbeat from this dedicated association of citizens.

On Sept. 11 past, I was one of the members that had the privilege of speaking to the library board at its meeting. Although, I was there in person as a councilman representing the Village of Poland, I wanted to make it clear then, as I do now. I was speaking as a citizen — a taxpaying citizen that like many others, supported the latest library levy.

My fundamental question to the board was to ask if it was prudent to relocate the Poland Library at a cost that would easily be millions of dollars more than it would take to make the repairs necessary to restore the building to its original status. Couldn’t funds be better directed to other library concerns? As an example, I remember the devastating effect the Village of Lowellville felt years ago when their branch closed. Could funds be better spent helping other smaller branches survive? Or what about enhancing other programs the library offers?

The funds to build a new facility have to come from somewhere! Ultimately, that burden rests with the taxpayers of the county. I am asking all of our fellow residents of Mahoning County to join our voice and speak up for our cause to “Save Your Library.”

As we have circulated our petitions and spoken with so many people, the same question arises, “Do you think all of this will make a difference”? We are hopeful to make positive progress! Although our task may be difficult, all of us know the best things in life lay on the other side of difficulty.

CHRIS GRAFF

Poland