The Rockrimmon Library, slated for permanent closure at the end of the year following an October decision by the Pikes Peak Library District Board, has not been going quietly in the intervening weeks.

Public officials have come out for and against the closure, while a large contingent of protesters attempting to delay the closure of the small northwest Colorado Springs library branch have packed meetings both at the Colorado Springs City Council and the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners.

On Wednesday night, the district board of trustees will appear again for their monthly meeting with no public plans to respond to the uproar.

On Monday, three Colorado Springs city council members called on the district to reverse or postpone the closure.

The letter, signed by councilmembers Dave Donelson, Nancy Henjum and David Leinweber, claims the Rockrimmon decision “was made without sufficient opportunity for public input or community engagement, which has limited residents’ ability to express their needs and concerns regarding this important community resource.”

The letter came after a city council meeting earlier this month in which more than 100 people attended in support of the library. Donelson also spoke out against the closure during the district meeting in which the decision was made, claiming community members were not given enough time to comment.

The Colorado Springs city council is jointly responsible with the El Paso County Commissioners for appointing members of the library district board of trustees, though the trustees operate independently from both entities.

On Tuesday, two El Paso County commissioners weighed in on the issue at a public meeting amid a similar showing of protesters as the city. Commission chair Carrie Geitner said she was “disappointed” with city councilmembers who signed the letter.

“I think they have not been honest with you about the situation,” she said, addressing the audience of protesters.

Geitner said that the district had made a “hard choice” that she felt was necessary.

Commissioner Holly Williams also said she was in support of the district trustees’ decision, saying that keeping all branches open was not possible due to multiple years of deficit spending.

“As with any other government, this is not sustainable on a long-term basis,” she said.

Williams also said that the district would need to make hard decisions to adjust to shifting population towards the east. She said that while Commissioner Stan VanderWerf had 40% of the PPLD libraries in his district on the west side, Geitner had none in her district in the northeast.

Protesters at both governing bodies have expressed frustration over a perceived lack of transparency in the decision to close Rockrimmon, one of the district’s busier locations. Community members have contended that the decision should be postponed until next year by renewing a one-year lease.

The district board of trustees members who supported the decision, including board chair Dora Gonzalez, have said that the branch was chosen for closure due to persistent financial difficulties district-wide.

Rockrimmon, along with the Ruth Holley branch, were singled out in a facilities master plan report this year as most likely candidates for closure due to uneven east-west distribution of libraries and the fact that both are in leased facilities, rather than owned.

Many of the public comments on the decision in the intervening months have focused on the financials of the district, which are also under discussion on Wednesday at a district budget work session prior to the meeting.

“What are they going to do, flip the 21c (library branch) when the market gets hot?” asked one member of the public at the Tuesday commissioners meeting.

Over the weekend, some district workers also voiced concerns over the closure. The Pikes Peak Library Workers United, a labor organization not officially recognized by the district, met on Saturday to discuss low staff morale, high turnover rates and chronic understaffing of branches.

While the district has said that the closure will not result in employee firings, some union members said at the meeting that district policies were alienating current workers and stagnating new hires. Union president Jacob Ward claimed in a speech during the meeting that Rockrimmon staff openings over the past year were not advertised for months.

“We’re overworked and understaffed,” he said. “The relocation of the staff at the Rockrimmon location will not fix this, despite claims to the contrary. The chronic understaffing of Rockrimmon this past year was a leadership decision.”

The Pikes Peak Library Board of Trustees will meet Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. at the East Library. More information can be found here.