Swannanoa Library to remain open after county commissioner vote, new location sought

Following a Feb. 13 announcement that Buncombe County would be closing the Swannanoa Library, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted to delay this closure at a March 7 meeting.

In an auxiliary viewing area for the meeting, a Swannanoa community member shouted out “We won,” as commissioners voted.

While the commissioners voted to keep the library open prior to public comment, several people had already signed up to speak in favor of keeping the Swannanoa Library open. In total, 21 people spoke during the public comment period in favor keeping the library open.

According to a news release after the vote was made, the Swannanoa Library will continue operations at the current facility until a new location in the Valley is identified. At that point, the building will be returned to the Swannanoa Community Council, a nonprofit all-volunteer organization that owns the building as well as other parcels of land surrounding the library. The council currently leases these parcels and building for $8,000 a year with the promise of lawn maintenance for outdoor areas.

The March 7 news release said the previous plans to have increased hours in other locations, as well as mobile programming, have been suspended following this decision.

Matt Barker, a board member of Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa, another nonprofit in the area, told Black Mountain News he is “cautiously optimistic and encouraged” about the commissioners' vote.

“We want to be thankful for what the motion is, but we also want to be very aware of what it is not,” Barker said. “It’s not a commitment to what our real goal is, which is a library for Swannanoa in Swannanoa for the long-term.”

Katie Hadden, a Swannanoa library user, said she is “hopeful” after the decision.

“I’m thankful that they obviously have heard us so far,” Hadden said. “I’m hopeful for the collaboration that I hope continues. I think this is just the first step.”

The initial Feb. 13 announcement that the library would be closing came as a “blindside," many community members previously told Black Mountain News.

According to a news release announcing the closure, a condition analysis was finalized in 2021 that evaluated 38 different county location and ranked the Swannanoa Library last. On a scale of 1 to 5, the Swannanoa Library was rated 1.69.

Buncombe County spokesperson Lillian Govus previously told Black Mountain News the library needed new walls, waterlines, furnace, HVAC, ductwork, windows, water heater, roof and an ADA compliant stairwell. The Feb. 13 news release said these repairs would cost $635,000.

George Scott, the chair of the Friends of the Swannanoa Library and the treasurer of the Swannanoa Community Council, previously told Black Mountain News some of the issues Govus identified had already been addressed, namely the roof, furnace, HVAC system and water heaters. He also said the repair estimates were “over inflated, potentially.”

Prior to the commissioners meeting, several supporters stood outside holding signs asking for the library to remain open.

Before the meeting, Barker said there was a need for “open government and open libraries.”

“We’re very concerned with the decision to close the library,” Barker said. “We think that’s a short-sighted decision and really isn’t justified by the numbers that we’ve been given.”

Marie Kaplan held a sign outside and spoke during the public comment period. She was the librarian at the Swannanoa branch from 1985 to 2004.

She told Black Mountain News that though she lives in Black Mountain, she keeps a “pretty close connection” to the Swannanoa Library, and she was concerned about its closure. She said she was particularly concerned because of the lower income population in Swannanoa.

“It’s the only public building in the area, and it’s a community hub,” Kaplan said. “With poorer people, they’re not going to be able to travel around to all these other libraries because they don’t have the time or money to.”

Following the commissioners' decision, Barker said he was “thankful.”

“I think we remain concerned about the long-term future of the library in Swannanoa, but we’re thankful that the commissioners are listening and that they’ve given us a little more time and a little more room,” Barker said. “The promise of public engagement is necessary for these kinds of decisions.”

Karrigan Monk is the Swannanoa Valley communities reporter for Black Mountain News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kmonk@blackmountainnews.com.