In Our View, Dec. 17: Exercising Minds

The cultural and educational refinement of east Vancouver took a huge step forward on Tuesday with the opening of the Cascade Park Community Library at 600 N.E. 136th Ave.

Consider the progress that’s occurred in just a two-block area in the past four years: Next door to the new library stands the massive Firstenburg Community Center, an 80,000-square-foot, multi-use facility that serves in myriad ways to improve the body. And now, the new library — 24,175 square feet, 10 times bigger than its predecessor — serves in dozens of different ways to improve the mind. The only new dilemma that east Vancouver residents now face is which to visit first: work out, then check out a book? Or exercise the mind and then the body? How that question is answered won’t affect the commute, because the two sparkling, sprawling facilities share a parking lot of about 300 spaces.

When Cascade Park was annexed by Vancouver in 1997 — bringing in 58,000 residents and almost doubling the size of the city — the change was not cheered by everyone in the area. And many people probably still believe that progress has been too little and occurred too slowly. But the new library and the Firstenburg center help demonstrate that the city is serious about improving services, facilities and infrastructure east of Interstate 205. “In the last 4½ years, this neighborhood has changed so much,” Jan Dabney said in a Wednesday story by The Columbian’s Howard Buck. “It’s just opened up, like a brand new city for us.”

Supporting the city’s efforts, voters have been willing to do their part, too. The new $10.2 million library is part of an overall $43 million package of library upgrades approved by 63 percent of voters in 2006. Twice before, similar measures had received 56 percent and 59.4 percent approval, but fell short of the required 60 percent supermajority. The keystone of that 2006 funding package — the main Vancouver Community Library — is under construction at C Street and Evergreen Boulevard in downtown Vancouver. Completion is scheduled for 2011.

Until then, the Cascade Park library is the structure worth celebrating. Compared to the previous eastside library, it’s got more than 10 times as many Internet computers, almost 10 times as much table seating and more than triple the volume-collection capacity, plus two meeting rooms to serve the community in many different ways. Library hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Dabney could not contain her glee at the grand opening. “This is perfect. It will add a lot to our lives,” she said. Nearby, daughter Jayleen, a freshman at Evergreen High School, was using a computer catalog to search for a Shakespeare title to add to her classic novels and mysteries. “She’ll have these books read probably in a week and a half,” mother Jan said. “We both just eat books.”

While helping patrons devour books remains the traditional role of a library, computer access is a growing function, and many other public services are increasing. The economic recession has sent many people to public libraries as an information source. Numerous out-of-work library patrons use it as a place to research new careers.

Congratulations, first, to Vancouver voters who saw the need and were willing to pay to meet that need. Kudos also to Executive Director Bruce Ziegman and others at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District; Chairman Jack Burkman and other members of the FVRL board; chair Linda Thomas and others at the FVRL Foundation; President Terri Frazier and other Friends of Cascade Park Community Library; and Cascade Park Community Librarian Teresa Torres.