[nfbwatlk] KIRO Story (fwd)

Wed Oct 18 17:47:06 CDT 2006

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 14:26:13 -0700
From: Sue Ammeter <sue.ammeter at cablespeed.com>
To: wcb-l at wcbinfo.org
Subject: [Wcb-l] KIRO Story

Here is the transcript of the story that was aired on KIRO Channel seven
news on Monday, October 16th:

Dispute May Force Library For Blind To Move
Chris Halsne
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Investigative Reporter

UPDATED: 6:46 pm PDT October 16, 2006

SEATTLE -- An ugly battle over a prime piece of real estate might leave
disabled patrons of the State Library for the Blind out in the cold. KIRO
Team 7
Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne brings us exclusive details on a
city-state partnership turned sour.

The Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL) is located at 9th
and Lenora, but perhaps not for much longer. The City of Seattle has told
that
organization it needs more money or the library has to vacate. That edict
comes even after state taxpayers spent millions of dollars buying the
building
for the blind back in 1995.

The library mails 2,000 audio books to the sight-impaired every day. They
run a special radio station and have hundreds of thousands of Braille books.

It is a link to the seeing world for patrons like Kay Burrows. She says she
is "sickened" to hear that in 2008, the operation will likely close up shop
and move to the Olympia area.

Burrows tells KIRO Team 7 Investigators, "I feel it's very sad. I think the
intent of the building is to provide a home for the Washington Talking
Braille
Library. It serves more than just blind people. Anybody that needs help
seeing print gets help here."

The creation of this library began a cooperative agreement between the city
and state. A decade ago, lawmakers paid for the building to get the
operation
going and agreed to give Seattle money to run the place.

Loopholes in the real estate contracts make it unclear what happens to the
building if the city quits providing that service. So who gets to keep the
improved-valued
$13 million building?

The city says "we do."

Secretary of State Sam Reed says that's not fair.

"The Washington State Legislature did not do this just to donate a building
to the City of Seattle for any purpose they wanted. They did it for the
purposes
of this program," Reed says.

Reed says he needs the profits from the sale of the building to go towards
creating new and improved services, since the city canceled the contract.

He sent
this letter
to the Mayor Greg Nickels a month ago, but has not had a reply. It asks the
city for "an amicable transfer of the property back to the State" (with an
attached
quit claim deed).

"If they are no longer going to run that library out of that building, then
it is our position, the state, that the state should take back ownership of
that building," says Reed. He adds, "The state paid for it, paid for
improvements on it, and did it for the purposes entirely for this library
function."

Janell Peterson is both a patron of the library and a volunteer. She's just
one of hundreds that are worried about the facility's future.

"I am sick about this battle over this building. I am concerned about all
the patrons who have an opportunity to use these services here. I'm
particularly
concerned about Seattle residents who come to the library, that we can fully
access all the materials in that library."

Seattle Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis says "the deed (to the building) is in the
name of Seattle." Ceis says his city isn't going to just hand over the
building
to the state. At the same time, he says negotiations are ongoing.

"It's true that the funding for these services have not increased in six
years. Costs go up. The city librarian is saying we can't keep giving you
that
same level of services unless you're willing to keep up with inflation."

Cies also says his office is "surprised" by the hard line taken by the state
and hopes to settle this matter soon.

"The people using these services shouldn't be caught in the middle. I think
we can work this out."

According to an
Attorney General's opinion,
if the City of Seattle won't give the building back, state lawmakers could
use "eminent domain" and take the property anyway without compensating
anyone.
Patrons of the library worry that could cause a big legal fight, which may
further erode funding for the sight-impaired.

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