In 1996 a new library was a pressing issue for the Morgan Hill
City Council.
EDITOR:
In 1996 a new library was a pressing issue for the Morgan Hill City Council. The council which included John Varela, Joe Martucci, Dennis Kennedy, Bev Freeman and Jan Smith was busy working through many ideas to fund the library, but at the time the RDA had no funds.
The City Council held visioning sessions to see where the money should be spent if the RDA were to be extend. The library was one of the top items listed. I have reviewed my notes to confirm this fact. But with the Council concerned about an extension in the RDA other ideas were being discussed.
John Varela and I met with people to discuss a joint venture with Rocke Garcia, the county and the city to build a library at the Sunsweet site. This was not acceptable to Dennis Kennedy or the Friends of the Library at that time.
It is funny, now that Dennis Kennedy has spent all the RDA funds on an Aquatic Center and Community Center, that he now goes back to a plan that was suggested by John Varela and myself in 1996 but rejected by Dennis Kennedy. Dennis, what took you so long to wake up?
If you had supported this idea originally, Morgan Hill would have a new library that would have been celebrating its fifth year in service. It is time for the current mayor to stop thinking of his political future outside of Morgan Hill and deliver on a promise made to the city in 1996 – get a new library built using an idea from two previous council members.
Since RDA funds had been wasted, the city needs to partner with whomever it takes and get a new library built. After all, you can live just fine if you can’t swim, but it is hard to survive without being able to read.
Joe Martucci,
former MH councilman
