As Dec. 1 approaches and the Rockrimmon Library gasps its last breath, the Pikes Peak Library District’s Chief Librarian and CEO Teona Shainidze-Krebs said she feels the community’s pain over the decision to shutter the beloved space.

“We know people have passion and love for their libraries, and so do we, the staff and the board of trustees,” she said Tuesday. “I understand the concerns — this is something very hard.”

Working off a new master facilities plan that recommended closing some of the 15 branches, the board voted 5-2 at its Oct. 16 meeting not to renew the lease of the storefront library at 832 Village Center Drive, which opened in 1989 in northwestern Colorado Springs.

The news has been met with angry protests at public meetings, a deluge of phone calls and emails, appeals to Colorado Springs City Council, a letter issued Monday from three City Council members to the library district’s board, and disbelief of many users.

“I wish there were unlimited resources to have a neighborhood library in every neighborhood,” Shainidze-Krebs said. “The reality is we cannot financially afford that. We serve more than 700,000 people in El Paso County, and it’s our goal to provide long-term sustainable services to everyone.”

The district is now “exploring different ways of providing service,” she said, including adjusting routes of its mobile library to include the Rockrimmon area. Book kiosks are also a possibility for residents.

“The board has never said, ‘That’s it.’ We don’t know what kind of options we’ll have in the future for that part of the community,” Shainidze-Krebs said.

Two other branches, the East Library and Library 21c, are both within six miles of the Rockrimmon facility, she said, and records indicate some Rockrimmon users already have switched to patronizing those libraries.

Regarding criticism of its finances, which show $16 million in reserves but $14.1 million as “unassigned,” Shainidze-Krebs said the library follows the industry’s “best practice” of maintaining three months of expenses in reserves for emergencies or one-time expenses. That amounts to about $9.3 million for 2025, which can’t be used for general operating funds.

Thus, the district is left with $4.8 million to spend on an estimated $5.9 million in needs for 2025, she said.

Part of the issue is that the library district owns just half of its 14 physical branches and leases 50% of the buildings. Shainidze-Krebs said going forward the district wants to occupy buildings it owns in strategic locations for more control, stability and safety.

Renovations to Penrose Library downtown, which the district owns, are still ongoing this year, but changes in security and interior design already have increased attendance in children’s programs such as story time and music classes by 32%, she said. And the facility has reported 35% fewer serious accidents, defined as injuries occurring or police being called, since the remodeling began in January, which was one of the purposes of the remodeling.

In addition to challenges in balancing next year’s budget, the library district has a workforce shortage that has affected operations, Shainidze-Krebs said. As of Tuesday, 56 positions are open, out of just over 400 employees. Some of the vacated positions have been combined to help save money, she said.

“We have some managers in our larger libraries that have 24 direct reports, which makes it impossible to provide assistance, training and help for all of them.”

As a result, some branches are not able to open for six days a week, as scheduled.

“Our goal is to take care of the staff,” Shainidze-Krebs said. “We need to pay sustainable wages to retain and recruit employees. We have individuals from other states who were offered positions but declined because they cannot afford to move here.”

A 3% salary boost for staff is proposed for next year’s budget.

In creating the new master facilities’ plan, the library district began soliciting public opinions about usage, desires and needs of the community early last year and surveyed patrons online and in person at branches in October of 2023 and February of this year, said Denise Abbott, district spokeswoman.

The system also hosted public feedback sessions online and in person and invited city leaders to weigh in as well as library employees.

“All of this we presented to our consultants, which led to the facilities master plan, which looked at our buildings and budget,” Abbott said.

Moving forward, the district could open branches in other parts of the county or expand existing ones. At an internal affairs committee meeting Tuesday afternoon, there was talk of renewing the Monument Library lease and possibly expanding the space. The High Prairie Library in Falcon also could be made larger in the future.

The library district has a history of adapting, Shainidze-Krebs said. When the flagship Penrose Library opened in 1968, the city’s existing library, the VZ Reed branch, was closed, according to historical accounts.

The recent decision wasn’t easy or taken lightly, Shainidze-Krebs said: “We want to serve everyone equitably.”

The Rockrimmon Library’s last day is Dec. 1, to give staff time to prepare for the lease ending on Dec. 31. The library district has posted an explanation of the decision at https://ppld.org/rockrimmon-library-lease-decision.