Politics & Government

Kamenetz 'Shares the Love' At Randallstown Branch Library Ribbon Cutting

Ceremony celebrates $450,000 in completed renovations.

Once upon a time, a Randallstown Branch Library customer who uses a wheelchair would have to wait at the library entrance for a staff member to operate the lift.

And customers who used the stairs didn't have such an easy time either, as the stairs were in bad shape.

But these days, customers are greeted by new automatic doors before they choose whether to take the full-sized elevator or the new stairs.

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A total of $450,000 in renovations to the library began in August and were completed at the end of January, said Andy Spera, Baltimore County Public Library facilities coordinator.

And at noon yesterday, Valentine's Day, County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, County Councilman Ken Oliver, other state and county officials, and about 60 Randallstown residents celebrated the renovations with a ribbon-cutting ceremony—with a love theme, of course.

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"Valentine's Day is the day that we celebrate the ones we love," Kamenetz told those gathered in the library. "But I know that today, everyone is here today because they share the love we all feel for Randallstown!" he cheered, to the group's applause.

"As I look out here, I know that many of you have lived here  your entire lives. But I have my own relationship with this great community. It started out a long time ago, back in the ... days of 1994," he said, referring to when he was a county councilman and Randallstown was in his district.

"Cell phones were the size of a shoeboxes, and mustaches were cool, especially on county councilmen," he quipped. It wasn't until 2010, when he was elected county executive, that he "got back together" with the community. 

"Being that it's Valentines Day, I've helped chip in, along with the council and a grant from the state, and we've gotten Randallstown a very special gift:  a half-million dollar, renovated library. I can't think of a better gift for the people of Randallstown than this," he said.

"Few public resources are more valuable than our libraries. Within the walls of this building and every one like it in Baltimore County, our citizens have access to a world of information absolutely free of charge. ... Since 1966, the Randallstown Branch ... (has) enriched the quality of life for everyone who calls this place home," Kamenetz said.

Now that the entrance is reconstructed and improved, "an alternative means of access is no longer necessary, and everyone can safely access the library materials," he said. Also, the children's area has been expanded and three new tutoring rooms have been added.

"These tutoring rooms will be an important resource for the education of every child in Randallstown," Kamenetz said. Tutoring rooms added in Woodlawn Branch Library are used 3,120 times per year.

James Fish, director of Baltimore County Public Libraries, thanked staff and customers of the library for their patience during the renovations, and thanked Sanders Designs Architects and Planners of Cockeysville, and Progressive Contracting for their work on the project.

Fifty percent of the cost of renovations is being paid by a state grant, Fish said.

"We are so lucky in Baltimore County that we have so many elected officials at all levels who are very supportive of libraries," he said before introducing Kamenetz.

Library Manager Barbara Salit-Mischel said the renovations have provided many benefits. "A nice consequence from the renovation is we have enlarged our children's area ... there is more room for the kids, we have some more props around, including a puppet theater ... and more room for story time. It is very exciting," she said.

Marty Horowitz, treasurer of Friends of the Randallstown Library, who has been a customer at the library for more than 30 years, attended the ceremony. "I think they did a very good job," he said after the ceremony, noting that the entrance is an impressive improvement that was sorely needed.

"It's great, and I think the best thing is the elevator," said Tova Rosenblatt, who is a director of Friends of the Randallstown Library.  

Randallstown resident Harvey Harris is a library patron. "It's a big difference," he said. "There was a problem getting the children in and out of here," he said, referring to the difficulties parents had getting their children in with strollers. "And just the overall look of the place is better now. It just wasn't up to par," he said.

Also attending the ribbon cutting were delegates Emmett Burns and Adrienne Jones, County Councilman Ken Oliver, Dr. Russell Kelley representing Sen. Dolores Kelley; and representatives for Councilwoman Vicki Almond, U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Rep. Elijah Cummings.

The last renovation at the Randallstown Branch Library was in 2002, after damage from a fire at the back of the library.


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