Newly-appointed Warren library commissioner Sandra Fortin was quick to voice her opinion about long-planned construction of a small library at Underwood Park during her first library commission meeting on May 15.

“I don’t care for the area,” Fortin said. “I don’t mean the people or whatever, I mean where the library will be.

“When you drive down the street there is nothing appealing over there.”

Fortin said she worked and lived in that neighborhood for many years and prior to Thursday’s meeting visited the Sidonie Avenue site for the planned library to get a sense of the project.

“There is no improvement to the homes along there and I’m not comfortable with where it is going to be built,” said Fortin.

In the 2023 fiscal city budget, the Warren City Council allocated $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to fund construction of the library, which was expected to get underway last year.

The library initiative is the result of a grassroots effort by area residents who have been asking for a library within walking distance of the neighborhood near Schoenherr and Toepfer roads since the closing of the Edgar A. Guest Library more than 20 years ago.

The area has been without a library since then and the new library on Sidone Avenue will be the only Warren library located east of Van Dyke Avenue.

Construction bids came in at a higher level than anticipated and at Thursday night’s library commission meeting, the status of the new library was discussed. Warren Library Director Oksana Urban said the lowest bid came in at $2.6 million.

The library was originally planned for a location on Couwlier Avenue, one street north of the current planned location. Moving the library to Underwood Park would allow access to existing parking so building a parking lot would not have to be included in construction costs. Urban said the park, which was scheduled for upgrades through the parks and recreation department, could be used for a variety of library programs and activities.

City treasurer and library trustee Lorie Barnwell emphasized the need for a library in that area, in particular programming for children and adults and access to wi-fi as well as books.

“A lot of people in that area don’t drive and where the library will be at Underwood Park it will be for the people who need a library the most,” said Barnwell. “It will be for the people who are underserved, people who don’t have a car.

“These residents feel like they have no access to any city services with parks or libraries.”

Barnwell said the library commission has the money to build some kind of library that would bring services to that area.

Resident Elaine Edwards, who has lived in the “David Area” neighborhood for several years and been a strong proponent of a library, said in a social media post that she found Fortin’s comments insulting.

“We in this area have been looked down upon for years, including McKinley school,” said Edwards. “There are good people that live here and we deserve city services; how can anything improve with these attitudes?”

Edwards said she likes the Underwood Park location and called it a “win for everyone.”

Other residents expressed anger and concern that construction of the library would be cancelled leaving them once again without access to resources the library provides.

Resident Jay Lifshay also weighed in on social media: “We pay taxes and deserve the same city services as other areas, not a critique of our homes.”

City council secretary Mindy Moore called Fortin’s statements “horrible” and said she expected the Underwood Park library construction would have already been underway at this time.

“The people in that neighborhood have been long forgotten and they need access to books, programming, wifi and computers,” Moore said. “To hear that neighborhood and its residents being denigrated tonight was appalling.

“They asked for little, were promised much, and now it sounds like they are going to be kicked in the teeth again.”

The library commission agreed to revisit the current library plan and see if it could be scaled back in order to stay within the $2 million budget.

Barnwell said that between the $2 million in ARPA funds and the library’s “healthy fund balance” there is enough funding to move forward with a library at Underwood Park.

“We have the money and it needs to be spent on our residents, period,” Barnwell said.