July 27, 2015

Despite overtures aimed at overcoming past baggage, the Kennett Library board continues to experience obstacles to an expansion plan that has been discussed — but not resolved — for more than a decade.

In the past month, both Kennett Township and the Borough of Kennett Square rejected a suggestion — already enacted by Pocopson Township — to cut off funding for the library, which serves residents in the borough and seven townships: East Marlborough, Kennett, Newlin, New Garden, Pennsbury, Pocopson, and West Marlborough.

During a series of meetings over the past several months, the library board has repeated assertions that mistakes were made and will be corrected. It has backed off an unpopular plan to move the library out of the borough (to property on Ways Lane in Kennett Township the library already owns), promised to reassess the way in which library board members get selected, and espoused exclusion. But tensions have persisted.

The latest blow to the goal of mending fences comes in the form of the resignation of Geoff Birkett, the board’s vice-chairman. His departure, announced in an email on Sunday, July 26, marks the sixth board member to step down in the past two years, amid roiling dissent about the library’s future.

Although most library stakeholders have found passionate, common ground in their belief that the library, with its circulation numbers continually increasing, has outgrown its current space in the 200 block of East State Street in downtown Kennett Square, the search for a new venue has generated turmoil — and turnover on the library board.

In an email, Board President Susan Mackey-Kallis said, “Geoff Birkett resigned from the Kennett Public Library in an internal email sent to the entire board. He worked hard for 18 months to professionalize the board. He was asked to join due to his corporate experience and we’ll miss his input.”

In his message of resignation, Birkett said he had “tried to help break the 14-year cycle of dithering unprofessionalism” and he asserted that the present board achieved more in the past six months than what previous boards had accomplished in 15 years.

“The local politics is now counterproductive and Kennett Township seems to feel they are in charge of this library,” he wrote. “If they are so keen to vote off excellent board members and insert their own team – good luck to them.”

Asked for his reaction, Kennett Township Supervisors’ Chairman Scudder G. Stevens said he had learned of Birkett’s departure by reading the email and noted that Birkett did many positive things for the library during his tenure. “It is unfortunate that he continues to malign Kennett Township and others in his swan song,” Stevens said. “Hopefully, his departure will permit a currently evolving board of the library to break the past patterns and allow resolution of the new home for the library.”

Birkett also accused an unnamed staff member for MacIntyre Associates of leaking information about the results of a feasibility study commissioned by the library board to assess the climate for a capital campaign for the new facility.

Contacted by phone, Bonny Anderson, the company owner, said, “I have no comment.”

The feasibility study came up in discussion at the last board meeting when Bill McLachlan, one of the new board members from Kennett Township, asked whether the public would have access to the study results. Mackey-Kallis said no, explaining that it contained “proprietary and confidential” information.

The board said it is currently revisiting a proposal to purchase borough-owned property know as the Weinstein lot, located at the intersection of East State and South Willow Streets. It voted unanimously at its last meeting to authorize its New Building Committee to draft a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a plan and timeline to acquire the lot and possibly an adjacent parcel for parking.

According to Pocopson Township minute from May 2013, the Pocopson’s Board of Supervisors learned that the library board had rejected its two nominees for a seat on the library board, citing a lack of “professional experience required to support the acquisition of a new library.” The supervisors concluded that Pocopson would not contribute without representation; that stalemate continues.

The next library board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 15.