Thought the Renton Library Issue Was Settled? Think Again

So while the Renton Library will stay where it is, it might not stay as it is.

A King County Library System plan to renovate the historic library which straddles the Cedar River has critics angered over what they see as a plan to completely change the library's character -- rather than a simple restoration.

Chief among the complaints: Moving the entrance.

“It’s an outrage and a ‘slap in the face’ to Renton residents that KCLS plans to take away our beloved entrance over the Cedar River," Beth Asher of Citizens to Save Renton Downtown Cedar River Library said in a prepared statement.

"Residents and non-residents a like love entering the library, viewing the beautiful Cedar River, and seeing salmon swimming upstream in the fall.”

Last summer, Asher's group waged a successful election battle to keep the library where it is rather than build a new library. The group didn't anticipate another library fight so soon.

“People are upset that KCLS has not listened to residents’ wishes," Asher said in the statement. "They have completely disregarded the original voter intent and ignored subsequent public comment meetings on the library design."