Boston Public Library trustees vote to kill four branches

Library trustees voted this morning to close branch libraries in Brighton's Oak Square, East Boston's Orient Heights, South Boston and Dorchester Lower Mills. City councilors Felix Arroyo, John Tobin and Ayanna Pressley, meanwhile, vowed to block any efforts to shut the branches.

"Today is not the end," Arroyo said.

Trustees unanimously rejected plans to shut either seven branches or keep all branches open but slash service hours at most locations in their effort to close a budget hole of more than $3 million.

They also rejected an amendment by Trustee Paul LaCamera to keep Orient Heights open. LaCamera argued the BPL's treatment of East Boston has been "shameful," pointing to that "tiny antiquated obsolete wonderful little place, separated by two to three miles of geography from another antiquated branch library on Meridian (Street)." Trustee James Carroll said there were equally good cases to be made in favor of the other three branches.

Trustees voted 5-0 to shut the branches; LaCamera abstained because of Orient Heights. In addition to closing branches, the trustees will submit a budget to the city that calls for the elimination of 90 jobs - most at the central library in Copley Square. The action now shifts to the mayor's office and the city council, which will decide the final city budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Trustees then voted to make building a brand-new library for East Boston to replace the current Maverick and Orient Heights branches their top capital project.

In addition to Arroyo, state Rep. Linda Dorcena-Forry said Boston legislators are fighting to gain funding for the library. But LaCamara said he now has little hope of new funding because most of Boston's elected officials stayed away from the meeting. Meanwhile, trustee Chairman Jeffrey Rudman refused to commit to re-open branches should BPL get additional money, promising only to have trustees re-convene to figure out how to spend any new money. He noted that in addition to cutting branches and 25 positions, trustees also decided to slash 69 jobs at the central branch.

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