Saturday, September 28, 2019

Jackson Drops Ball on Library.... Again

The Jackson-Hinds County Library System told Jackson it could keep the defunct Charles Tisdale Library on Northside Drive.  Rickey Jones, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the system, told the Jackson City Council in a September 9 letter:


As the Chairman of the Jackson Hinds Library System Board of Trustees, I am writing to inform you that the Board of Trustees, at their regular Board Meeting on August 27, 2019, resolved unanimously to relinquish, as of September 30, 2019, any and all interest in the physical property known as the Charles W. Tisdale Library located at 807 East Northside Drive, Jackson, Mississippi 39206. The major reason for this action is the continuous high cost of maintaining the property, which we estimate to be approximately $35.000 per year. We cannot afford to sustain this kind of financial obligation when the library no longer is usable and has not been open for public use for two and a half years.

On and from September 30, 2019 forward, the Jackson Hinds Library System will bear no further interest or responsibility, financially or legally for the Tisdale Library. The utilities will be turned off. all exterior lighting will remain dark, also, contents and liability insurance coverage will end. The secoruty system will be turned off permanently as well. Many of the items in the interior are in such poor condition that they simply must be abandoned. The books, furniture and shelving are covered in such a thick coating of mold and mildew , that they pose a health hazard to anyone attempting to access the building. We will remove any JHLS signage, including the JHLS marquee, and place it in storage until a suitable and healthy site is located and retained for the continuation of the Tisdale Library.

Although we must return the heavily damaged library property to you. our interest in reopening the Charles W. Tisdale Library in a new location has never been stronger. The 60,000 plus former library 1sers continue to inquire when they will have a community library again , and we are eager to partner with the City of Jackson Officials to open a new facility in that same service area again. We believe hat a strong partnership between the City of Jackson, Hinds County and the Jackson Hinds Library ervice will be critical to the success of a new Charles W. Tisdale Library in the near future. We look 'orward to moving ahead with a new library plan as soon as the City of Jackson can locate a suitable milding in the same service are to house the Tisdale Library.


Kingfish note: Ouch.  While Jackson dithered, over 30,000 books at the library were ruined.  The JHCLS's Executive Director repeatedly came to the City Council begging for help but her pleas fell on deaf ears.  Meanwhile, the Eudora Welty library had to shut down because the city couldn't manage repairs.  The Willie Morris library has roof problems as well.   However, don't worry, the city probably has a plan for Jackson libraries. 

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

The city of Jackson is such a deep hole right now they can never get out. The water dept is going into federal receivership. The zoo is done don't think it will reopen after monday. I forsee Jackson going the way of Jefferson county in Alabama a municipal bankruptcy

Anonymous said...

Chuck has a plan for everything. Agee that the zoo will never reopen at its current location. The employees will leave after being put on contact with no benefits. Who will then take care of the animals? Chuck and Stokes? We shall see.

Anonymous said...

The leadership of The City of Jackson must lack any sort of sense of shame or responsibility for their complete and itter incompetence. What an absolute disgrace and embarrassment to our state. I don't have any other words that will pass the censors.

Anonymous said...

But are the midnight basketball leagues fully funded?

Tater Eaves said...

Ooops!

John said...

My suggestion that the animals from the zoo be relocated into the Convention Center (sounds a lot like "correction center"...) hasn't garnered much support.

Stuff About ZeroBear PolyBear said...

Burn Books?

No need for that. We just let them mold away.

Anonymous said...

Yes, the city bears the responsibility for letting the building fall into ruin. But the fact that the books were not moved before they were destroyed by mold is entirely the fault of the library system.

Anonymous said...

One of the problems Jackson has is that it’s leaders have no common sense. They chase fantasy vs reality. They are making progress with the streets but they can’t stop wasting money on other things like a failing Zoo. I don’t believe the Zoo will make it, it’s a money pit. I have always believed that if it wasn’t moved it would fail. The city is also very wrong by allowing so many abandoned structures to remain. What’s the deal with those abandoned hotels at Ellis & 80, I-20? And those abandoned apartments you can see on I-20 near 220...Does the city not care about image to all the thousands of travelers who drive through? Jackson has an image problem. A drive through Jackson on I-20 would surely cause people to think really negatively of Jackson.

Anonymous said...

The utilities will be turned off. all exterior lighting will remain dark, also, contents and liability insurance coverage will end. The security system will be turned off permanently as well.

Guess who the next occupants of the building will be....next to a school, church and apartment complex.

Cynical Sam said...

Jackson is Detroit of the South, and just like Detroit (and other "blue" cities), it won't recover until it hits bottom. That would be when there is no water and no waste water treatment and most streets are almost impassible. Then the riots begin.

Mayor Baby Chok, and most members of the city council, couldn't manage the night shift at a Mickey D's.

Anonymous said...

The Library system seems to be one of the most poorly managed entities in the state. You never really hear any solutions from them, only problems.

Anonymous said...



One more example of the citizens getting the government they deserve.

Anonymous said...

@10:56 PM you might want to research the sequence of events more carefully before agreeing to show up here to carry Antar's water.

Everything Antar has touched has gone to shit.

Anonymous said...

SIGH
Will Mississippians NEVER understand that the entire State has a population smaller than many cities in this Nation? And, 40% of the population is too poor to step up and help with any problem.

Do you NOT understand that you'll NEVER get another zoo and to not try to come together as a State to support the zoo and work to solve its problems is in YOUR best interest?

Do you NOT understand that buying new books that are more expensive but of better quality is stupid, but that again, in not pulling together as a State, you let than happen? For Heaven's sakes , you could have moved the books to our too many junior colleges and some of our too many universities as some of their libraries are woefully inadequate.

Do you NOT see that building 2 new convention centers when one of the three you have is failing and the other 2 , barely working, is a huge waste of money?

Other places in which I've lived and worked have geographical demarcations with small differences in the cultural ideas that evolved, but no one of them are blind to the fact that letting one part fail is a failure for all.

And, to an outsider who is even more tied to the South than some of those gleefully leading the " hate Jackson" chorus, that all this hate is really so you can feed your baseless belief that only whites are competent to lead or solve problems. And, in any test of competence given, not a one of you could out score Priester or Lumumba and aren't likely as well educated.

Perhaps, the first thing some of you should do is take a DNA test. More than a few of the racists I've met here are not lily white ( look up the DNA test for percentages) and some racists are so stupid they admit to a health issue that is confined to those with African American blood. ( You best look up those too) . And, you black racists best look at how white you might be as well. You might have far more white in you than you thought and might not be able to attribute it to ancestor rape during slavery! Those DNA test can pinpoint the generations.

Anonymous said...

@12:00 That is the most racist post I've read in a very long time. You only need to look in a mirror to find a racist.

Anonymous said...

Thanks 12:00 for not only pointing out but also demonstrating racism. The problems in Jackson do not come from people thinking the leaders are not capable. It comes from leadership proving without a doubt that they are incapable. Just list successes in one column and failures in another. Which column should we put hiring an unaccredited firm to run the zoo? The water fiasco? Farish st, or any street for that matter? Crime? Schools? Schools? Libraries? All that caused by racism?

Anonymous said...

It's a culture problem not a race problem and there in lies the competence problem. So wht if they have education, if they are incompetent to perform or lead it is useless.

Anonymous said...

September 29, 2019 at 12:00 PM = Completely deranged

Anonymous said...

OK, let's settle this once and for all.. If everyone's a racist, then no one's a racist. We're either ALL racists or none of us are racists. Either way, the claim has been SO over used, it has no bearing on anything anymore. There. It's finally settled.

Now, on the the TRUTH of the matter: 2:01 hit the nail on the head. It's a CULTURAL issue. When you have groups of people who don't place value on, or have concern for, certain things (e.g., sewer service, water service, schools, libraries, law enforcement, etc.), they're not apt to try to change / improve them. To paraphrase the frequent admonitions of local radio host: the current "leadership" is too busy following their cultural norms to get anything done in this city / county. The issues listed above are just not important to them or their culture. If they were, you would hear a constant cry for reform from the people being affected by the problems with those issues. Unfortunately, the only people from whom you hear complaining are the people in other areas who have had to abandon the city / county DUE to the lack of reforms! This, coming from a local OBSERVATIONIST!


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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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