The Hennepin County Library has found a new way to waste tax dollars and irritate its neighbors and patrons.
An estimated $10,000 was recently spent on an illuminated LED sign for the Linden Hills Community Library in south Minneapolis. Somehow the Library Board thought it could improve on signage that has worked just fine for 80 years.
The only new information on the sign is the name of the new proprietor: Hennepin County Library. This historically designated library is now marred with a garish, suburban-strip-mall sign placed on a residential street, in a neighborhood that has strived to retain its small-town feeling.
As a member of the Linden Hills Advisory Committee for the library's renovation in 2001, our goal was to improve patron services and access while preserving the historic architecture of this lovely building and complementing the surrounding homes and streetscape.
We succeeded, but I doubt this LED sign would meet historical preservation standards. The sign is harsh and glaring at night and is insensitive to the neighborhood.
The library system should remember that it is no longer just a purveyor of suburban behemoths, but also of small community libraries nestled in city neighborhoods.
Next time, talk to patrons and neighbors before digging -- and save some money.
DOROTHY DOLEZAL, MINNEAPOLIS
