Editor’s note: The following letter is being sent to Jackson County Board of Commissioners and the Sylva Town Board.

Members of BOLD (Build Our Library Downtown) believe that January 2004 provides an opportune moment to begin anew. In light of recent events, and with the coming of the new year, we ask that you consider alternatives to current policies related to the Jackson County Public Library, and provide the time for all of us to step back, catch our breath, and take another look.

As members of the Jackson County public, we pledge to you our talent and a strong work ethic to accomplish a new vision. As we think about new and different strategies, we ask that you consider the following recommendations.

° We ask that you continue your hold on any actions related to the public library until you meet with the Sylva Town Board on Feb. 4, 2004.

° We ask that the members of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners and the Sylva Town Board work collectively as decisions are made about the library.

° We ask that town and county officials co-sponsor a referendum during the May primaries that allows citizens to vote on the location of a new library: Southwestern Community College or downtown Sylva.

° Prior to the referendum, we ask that town and county officials co-sponsor a preliminary study of the courthouse site to be conducted by a local architect.

° Once the referendum has been tallied and the courthouse site explored, we ask that you establish a new study group with a different mission and different expectations. The new study group would be comprised of representatives from the Jackson County Library Board, Friends of the Library, Fontana Regional Library, BOLD, business and arts communities, appointments by the town and county boards, and most importantly, library patrons. With the exception of appointments by the two boards, we ask that other members be volunteers.

This large study group would be organized into subgroups to study other downtown sites should the courthouse site prove to be unacceptable; to study funding/financing resources; to hire an architectural firm with the guidance and continuing presence of a local architect; to mobilize the community, and so forth.

The advantages to you, as county commissioners, are:

1. Members of BOLD have demonstrated skills as grant writers; community organizers, and activists; researchers; artists; designers; and a knowledge and passion for the library, town, county, and the mountains of Western North Carolina. We offer these skills on behalf of a new downtown library.

2. If merging the courthouse restoration with a new library becomes a reality, it will provide for continued upkeep of the historic courthouse, as well as supporting the county commissioners’ responsibilities toward downtown renewal projects (SPIR).

3. A new cooperative and open process will lessen the deeply held belief on the part of many that the public voice has been silenced, and that two or three persons have driven the process thus far.

We believe that a cooperative process will serve as a model for other North Carolina communities. We believe that a beautiful multi-purpose facility on Courthouse Hill could enhance our town and county and serve as inspiration to Jackson County residents. We believe that this effort would provide an enviable example of representation of the people by public officials, and offer citizens a remarkable opportunity to demonstrate civic participation and responsibility.

Respectively submitted,
Members of BOLD (Build Our Library Downtown)

Joyce Moore, president; Nancy Coward, secretary; Phyllis Foxx, treasurer; Veronica Nicholas; and Odell Thompson.