Metro Council members unhappy with mayor's leadership on closed Middletown Library

MIDDLETOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- Eleven-year-old Austin Rahmann and his family wanted to spend yet another afternoon reading at Louisville Free Public Library's Middletown branch on Thursday. When they arrived, signs on the doors shared some bad news: The library branch is still closed.

"It's frustrating, because I thought it would reopen by now, especially if the funds are available," said Rahmann's mother, Theresa Rahmann.

To some on council, Theresa Rahmann's frustration is understandable. When Metro Council passed a budget a month ago, it restored funding to the Middletown branch, which was closed by Mayor Greg Fischer before the budget vote. It was the understanding of Councilman Anthony Piagentini and others on council that the library would reopen immediately — at its current home at the East Government Center — while the city searched for a better, cheaper location elsewhere in Middletown.

The Middletown Library, in the East Government Center, will reopen Saturday. (WDRB Photo)

"I'm just asking the mayor, very simply, do your job," said Piagentini, a Republican who represent District 19. "We already did ours."

Piagentini is upset with Fischer, who he said has shown a lack of leadership on the Middletown branch.

"I've yet to see a list of options or a list of ideas or any initiative by the mayor's office at this point," Piagentini said. "This, at the time of its closing, was the most-used library in the library system."

Councilman Markus Winkler, a Democrat who represents District 17, is more reserved in expressing his frustration.

"Councilman Piagentini wants to see it open as quickly as possible," Winkler said. "I want to see that as well, but I'd also like to see that balanced with prudent use of money."

Winkler said he's okay with keeping the branch closed for now if — and only if — a new permanent location can be found soon.

"Let's identify the space, let's figure out when it's available and then let's figure out what's the most prudent use of taxpayer money that also gets a library reopened in Middletown as quickly as possible," he said.

The Democrat does, however, have some problems with the mayor's leadership on the issue, citing the "less than ideal" communication and "sense of urgency" from Fischer's office. Winkler feels he and others on council are being kept in the dark about what's next for the Middletown branch.

Until recently, signs on the doors of the Middletown branch said it's closed due to budget cuts, even though Metro Council restored funding for the branch. (WDRB Photo)

"If the plan for the administration is, 'Let's vet these facilities and then make a decision,' well, let's do that with a discussion," Winkler explained. "But we don't have any idea that's the plan, and it just looks like nothing is happening."

WDRB News reached out to the mayor's office for comment, but a spokesperson referred WDRB to Paul Burns with the Louisville Free Public Library.

Burns said in an email statement that LFPL is "actively" looking for a new site and explained there's a chance the branch reopens at its current site, but LFPL does not want to have to move twice.

"When Middletown Library closed, all of its employees were reassigned, and the books and other materials were distributed to other locations," Burns wrote. "Reopening will require the hiring of additional personnel, which takes time, as well as hiring a library moving company to move resources (books, etc.) which would cost from $10,000 to $30,000, depending on how much of a collection is moved.

"Because of that expense, we do not want to have to move twice. So we are actively reviewing the potential sites in an effort to quickly make a decision on whether one is suitable. If it becomes clear that no suitable space is available, then the Library will use the available funding as effectively as possible at the existing location."

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