Oh happy day...it is Saturday and I am in a ‘new to me’ library...what could be better? Since my daughter joined the ski team at “Kissing Bridge” this year, I have been spending more time in the ‘ski country’ of Western New York. As a recent Niagara Frontier transplant I was just getting comfortable finding my way around the towns and cities north of Buffalo. Then I went back to school (Buffalo State College) and had the chance to get lost and confused in Buffalo and surrounding suburbs - however, the vast wilderness of the “southtowns” was as foreign to me as South America. Today I have persevered. Thanks to Tom (my gps) and googlemaps I am adapting.
Today I am in Boston, NY (population 7,897) in the charming and blissfully quiet Boston Free Library (located at 9475 Boston State Road). Although Boston is technically only six miles away from Kissing Bridge, the short distance is significantly challenging thanks to a steep ridge rising from the landscape. Apparently, when there are not white-out conditions, there is a beautiful valley view to enjoy. Maybe I’ll get to see that in the spring.
Today I am in Boston, NY (population 7,897) in the charming and blissfully quiet Boston Free Library (located at 9475 Boston State Road). Although Boston is technically only six miles away from Kissing Bridge, the short distance is significantly challenging thanks to a steep ridge rising from the landscape. Apparently, when there are not white-out conditions, there is a beautiful valley view to enjoy. Maybe I’ll get to see that in the spring.
From where I sit now I can see the ominously grey sky and cascading snow outside the window, I am alone in a cozy book-lined room. All I can hear is the gentle buzz of my laptop and the muffled noises of the librarian moving around upstairs. I picked a spot under the heat vent on a large table and have slipped off my boots and put my feet up on the cushioned chair across from me. After a week of 4th grade and the crush of the crock-pot crowd at the ski lodge this is paradise. This building was converted to the library in 1955 after serving as the schoolhouse for many years and, for a small library, it has a wonderful collection of new books and audio books for adults and children (in my opinion this is the sign of a healthy library). I browsed through them all before using my self-restraint. Boston is actually one of the 28 branches of The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (B&ECPL) that operates outside of the City of Buffalo.
The B&ECPL is facing a ginormous budget crisis - county support was cut by 21%, the tax levy reduced by 18%, state aid was reduced, costs increased and there is carryover debt. All this created a budget shortfall of 7 million dollars. In the face of losing 100 full time positions and closing libraries, the Erie County Legislature voted to provide a one time $3 million bailout at the end of December, 2010. A nice Christmas gift, but I wonder if Boston’s heat will be on this time next year.
The B&ECPL is facing a ginormous budget crisis - county support was cut by 21%, the tax levy reduced by 18%, state aid was reduced, costs increased and there is carryover debt. All this created a budget shortfall of 7 million dollars. In the face of losing 100 full time positions and closing libraries, the Erie County Legislature voted to provide a one time $3 million bailout at the end of December, 2010. A nice Christmas gift, but I wonder if Boston’s heat will be on this time next year.
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