Moving the Library A Serious Mistake

To The Editor:
I heard that the Court House library is planning to move to a new building near the county zoo in December. I believe his would be a mistake.
This past April, I attended the Earth Day Festival at the county park near the zoo. I took the No. 552 NJ Transit bus north to go there. This location, at the intersection of Route 9 and Crest Haven Road, is a main road and it can be very busy. Crest Haven Road leads east to the Garden State Parkway nearby.
I’m not sure exactly how far the new building will be from the zoo, but I do know that the zoo location is a very dangerous intersection for pedestrians taking the bus there, and it is a very isolated area. Even if there were a crossing guard at the location to help people cross Route 9 there after taking the bus, I think it’s a very bad idea.
At the present site, the library grounds are so pleasant, and the inside of the library is also. To take the bus from Rio Grande to the present library, you get off at Mechanic Street in the middle of town and walk across the intersection there and half a block or so west to the library.
Not only is the library accessible there in the middle of town, but this means that this partof town is there for all of the library’s patrons. I’m sure that all of the shops and restaurants there benefit also because people who visit the library support their businesses, which in today’s economy means a lot. And people living nearby can walk there as well. I believe leaving the library at its present location is environmentally correct.
If the new building is already constructed, then maybe this is the building that could be used for the required office space. I hope that everyone involved with the Court House library, its neighbors and governmental officials, will realize that moving this library from its present location would be a serious mistake that I believe would negatively affect everyone. Let’s do something while we can.
RUTH MAXWELL
Court House
(ED. NOTE: Present plans call for the main library branch to maintain a presence on Mechanic Street, and build a facility near the zoo’s African Savannah, across from the Historical Museum.)