Excerpt: The Fairview branch of the Camden Free Public Library shut its doors for good Tuesday, the victim of budget cuts brought on by a $28 million city budget deficit that could eventually shut down Camden's library system altogether.
Set in a former residence on Collings Avenue, the Fairview branch had been in operation since 1925, a cornerstone of the neighborhood that was built as a planned community for workers from the nearby shipyard after World War I.
Today, Fairview is a predominantly low-income neighborhood, where residents can be seen mowing their lawns and sitting out on park benches in Yorkship Square, trying to hold out against the city's problems.
"There's more drug dealers on the corners. It's not the same place it was when I moved here in the 1990s, but it's still a good neighborhood," said Ethel Randall, the library assistant.
There is concern among many in Fairview that with the library closed, neighborhood children will be more inclined to hang out on the street corners and fall into drug dealing, said Jerome Taylor, a community activist.
No comments:
Post a Comment