Sitting on my porch late at night, I sometimes imagine that I can hear a symphony of discontent rising over Jackson County.

Beneath the thunder of construction (and destruction) out on N.C. 107, the muffled spatter of gunfire (real or imagined) from Tilley Creek, with a chorus of piper cubs warbling from the airport, all of it mingled with the sounds of traffic and stripped gears. But, if I jack up my hearing aids, I think I hear, rising above it all, an ever-present duet of whining and gloating that floats above the Jackson County Public Library. Yes, the library planning board is discussing fund raising.

Like hundreds of other citizens of this county, I remain interested in the future library. While it is true, as Don Williamson and Ethan Staats point out, that many of us seem to have lost a lot of our original fervor, it is not for the reason (a total lack of interest) that they suggest.

For example, in a recent meeting both Williamson and Staats expressed confusion and disappointment in the lack of progress in fund raising, noting that no one had even drafted a fund-raising letter or a mailing list. Williamson made repeated references to the 2,000 people who had signed the petition to halt plans to construct a multi-purpose library at Southwestern Community College. Williamson posed a rhetorical question: “Where are they now?” Why do we only have $350 in our fund-raising coffers? “You will never raise $1.8 million (the local fund-raising commitment) in twenties and fifties,” Staats said.

Well, I suspect that neither Williamson nor Staats are quite as confused as they claim. In fact, all of this fulmination sounds a bit like gloating to me. Williamson and Staats (both from Cashiers) were ardent supporters of the plan to build the multi-purpose library at SCC. Indeed, they continued to support the multi-purpose facility long after the commissioners, the town of Sylva and the local citizenry had rejected the idea. Now that the plans to build a $6 million library in the Jackson Plaza appear to be faltering, both gentlemen can’t resist the temptation to comment on the lack of commitment. Where are those 2,000 outraged petitioners now?

Well the issues involved with the new library (proposed for 2009) are more complex that it appears. Just what does account for the remarkable lack of involvement? Where are those people who launched a letter-writing campaign, garnered almost 3,000 supporters, distributed bumper stickers and created a vital organization (BOLD) complete with a Web site, weekly meetings and a healthy membership? Is this truly a case of fair weather supporters and sunshine patriots?

Since a goodly number of my friends were a part of the initial effort to “keep our library downtown,” and since I am definitely among the disillusioned folks who appear to have lost much of their commitment to the original goal, I would like to comment.

Many of us feel betrayed. Although the multi-purpose library was abandoned, the option that suddenly emerged to replace it — a site in the Jackson Plaza — was a poor substitute. For many of us, “downtown” meant Sylva and Main Street. Despite all of the political rationalizations to the contrary, the Jackson Plaza is not only out of “downtown,” but it has remarkably poor accessibility for pedestrian traffic — especially children and the elderly.

In addition, the reason for selecting the Jackson Plaza demonstrated that the people who made the decision were motivated by factors that had nothing to do with why libraries are loved — books, reading, the arts and education. The people who made this decision readily acknowledged that it was a means of jump-starting the moribund economy of the Jackson Plaza. Our town leaders were equally enthusiastic about locating our new post office in the Plaza as well — a decision that may now be in doubt.

When I talk to my friends now, we usually agree that if we were asked, we would probably contribute to any fund-raising efforts for a new library. However, we usually acknowledge that we have lost much of our original enthusiasm because we feel that our leaders have acted in total disregard for the wishes of the public. Certainly, many of us remember that our wish to participate was perceived as a nuisance. Also, in retrospect, we realize the numerous committees and “task forces” that were created “to study the problem” were evasions, and when these groups made recommendations they were ignored. Time and time again, we were told that we “really didn’t understand the issues.”

So, Williamson and Staats may have identified a very real obstacle to the building of a $6 million library. Many of us feel some reluctance to raising funds for a project that we never really endorsed.

There are other issues, too. In the initial “outrage” with the SCC project, some of the loudest objectors were owners of businesses on the “main drag.” I think many of us knew that it was not a love of literature that brought these protestors into the front ranks of the drive to keep our library downtown. No, in the final analysis, they equated the loss of the library to a loss of profit margin. Ironically, the site in Jackson Plaza will accomplish the same end.

In conclusion, I would like to note that, like Williamson and Staats, I am both disappointed and confused. However, my distress is prompted by the poor attendance at the eight-member board meetings at the Jackson County Library. Surely these members accepted the news of their appointments to this board with humility and pride. Yet, attendance is poor from our local members. Perhaps we should all take instruction from the examples of Williamson and Staats — and this isn’t even their library.

(Gary Carden can be reached at gcarden498@aol.com.)