(COLORADO SPRINGS) — In a 5-2 vote on Wednesday evening, Oct. 16, the Pikes Peak Library District’s Board of Trustees elected not to renew the lease of its Rockrimmon branch.
The decision means the closure of the Rockrimmon branch, which was earmarked for possible closure in a July report, along with the Ruth Holley branch. The two branches were chosen because they both occupy rented space, rather than being owned by PPLD.
Before the vote on Wednesday, community members voiced their opinions, both in-person and online. Many on the west side argued the library deserved to stay in their neighborhood.
“There is no YMCA, there is no community center, the Rockrimmon library is it for the northwest side. That is all we have, it is the heart of the northwest side,” said one community member who spoke up at the meeting.
The board said the decision not to renew the Rockrimmon branch’s lease was a difficult one, but was made with a focus on helping the entire library district financially.
