To the editor:

After so many attempts over the last few years to promote the benefits of satellite library services had fallen on deaf ears in city hall, I was surprised to read that both city commissioners and school officials recognize the need for satellites “someday” in Lawrence. But I was again disappointed that this need is to be postponed in favor of shoe-horning a single-site expansion on a one-way thoroughfare which sees as much (if not more) vehicular and pedestrian traffic as any single direction on a similar stretch of Sixth Street.

Proponents of single-site expansion tout the benefit of additional parking spaces serving the needs of a bigger building. Excuse me, but such parking would barely serve the current needs of this crowded downtown area, let alone a library expansion.

Kentucky and Tennessee Streets carry traffic to and from I-70, our hospital and downtown or central Lawrence. Drivers routinely accelerate and jockey for position within the last two blocks before the intersection of Kentucky and Sixth, where there is already a bottleneck of a park, swimming pool complex, post office and library, making this street one of the most dangerous in Lawrence. This proposal would make this two-block long bottleneck even worse and more dangerous for cars and pedestrians alike.

Satellite libraries are long overdue for serious consideration by both city and school officials, because they would distribute the particular services listed in this proposal to more suitable and accessible locations, and they would cost much less to boot.

Deborah Snyder,

Lawrence