The inboxes of the North Bend City Council and staff members and police had been filling up with complaints about things going on at the North Bend Library, but Police Chief Mark Toner said the library has followed through with its promise to make some changes and he’s hearing very few complaints from the public these days.
Parents complained they were afraid to let their children go to the library because of perceived drug deals going down, homeless people sleeping in chairs, and groups of people smoking cigarettes and pot, as well as using foul language and gathering at the entrance, Toner said.
Library officials have agreed to:
• Install additional lighting behind the library.
• Trim shrubs around the building to limit blind spots.
• Remove picnic tables from the east lot.
• Construct a fence between the library and food bank.
• Add “library patron parking only” signs.
• Encourage groups that are outside to come inside or move along.
• Ask that people not smoke near the building.
• Enforce library code of conduct standards.
• Offer more programs for neighbors, community groups and students.
• Call the sheriff when appropriate.
Toner said the library staff is being a great partner and is making the changes they said they would. The picnic table is gone and a fence was being constructed to cut down on traffic between the library and Mount Si Helping Hand Food Bank, he said.
“It’s been a great improvement,” Toner said. “The public and library staff are saying they’ve seen great improvement and I haven’t been receiving any complaints.”
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