Buncombe County to permanently close Swannanoa Library: What to know

Karrigan Monk

Asheville Citizen Times

Buncombe County announced Feb. 13 that it would be closing the Swannanoa Library on June 29. According to a news release announcing the closure, a condition analysis was finalized in 2021 that evaluated 38 different county locations. Of those 38 locations, the Swannanoa Library branch ranked last. The locations were evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being “poor” and 5 being “excellent.” According to the release, the Swannanoa Library was rated 1.69. Lillian Govus, a Buncombe County spokesperson, told Black Mountain News this rating was based on the library building’s need for new walls, waterlines, an ADA compliant stairwell, furnace, HVAC, ductwork, windows, water heater and roof. The news release said the total cost for the repairs of the building “to maintain life safety and continue providing regular operations” would be $635,000.

“You’re getting subtractions for everything that needs to be repaired in there, and that $635,000 that was identified in repairs for the facility doesn’t even take it to being a premier facility,” Govus said. “It’s not solar panels, it’s not bells and whistles. It’s to get us to life safety at the facility.”

The release said the Swannanoa Library has the smallest footprint of all Buncombe County libraries at 3,276 square feet. The library also serves the smallest number of visitors, about 20,000 each year. Pack Memorial Library is currently the largest in the system, at more than 51,000 square feet. In 2020, when the condition analysis was performed, the Swannanoa Library accounted for less than 5% of the total library population served. In 2023, the Swannanoa Library had 20,779 visitors.

Annual Visitors for Each Library:

• Pack: 102,853
• North Asheville: 88,534
• East Asheville: 78,178
• South Buncombe: 73,912
• Black Mountain: 71,906
• West Asheville: 61,741
• Weaverville: 60,084
• Enka-Candler: 47,576
• Leicester: 39,294
• Fairview: 39,077
• Oakley: 38,816
• Swannanoa: 20,779

Govus said the county spends around $50,000 annually in the upkeep of the library, which is not included in the $635,000. “It’s not a feasible business operation, especially when our business is based on being responsible with taxpayer dollars,” Govus said. “That’s not an investment that we can continue to make in a responsible way.”

The Swannanoa Library is situated in the Grovemont neighborhood, and the building that houses the library is owned by the Swannanoa Community Council. The facility was built in 1952 as a community center. The library began operating in the basement in 1967 and moved to the main floor in 1984.

Residents’ Reactions:

Grovemont resident Renee Liwing said she found out about the closure of the library from her husband and said she was “surprised” to find out the library would be closing. She said she has lived in Grovemont her whole life, and the library has been a fixture of life there. “It’s a place that I can take my kids,” Liwing said. “Go to the park, the library, all in one go.”

Alana Wingo, another Grovemont resident, said she visits the library weekly and finds it “sad” it will be closing. “I hate this because this is a neighborhood where a lot of families are starting to move into this area,” Wingo said. “This is one of the draws.”

The Swannanoa Library currently sits between the East Asheville and Black Mountain libraries, which will serve as the main libraries for the Swannanoa community when that branch closes in June. Liwing said having to travel to either of these libraries would be “inconvenient” as she currently walks to the Swannanoa Library.

County’s Response:

Govus said while there is no mobile library for the community, Buncombe County is looking to “ensure that folks in the Grovemont community of Swannanoa still have access to resources.” She said the access will not look the same, but the county is looking at ways to offer typical library offerings such as books, Wi-Fi and community engagement offerings.

“I think it’s really hard right now because folks are just hearing that the library is closing and that feels very final,” Govus said. “I want to reiterate that we’re trying to be extremely creative in thinking about how we maintain service delivery for that community.”

The release said all library staff will reassigned to other branches. Govus said the staff will keep their same pay grade and classifications when reassigned. As for the books in the library, Govus said the collection will be audited. Some books may go into other collections while others go into the community or into Buncombe County’s special collections.

Govus said there will be a celebration of the library before it closes, but details are still being put into place. Wingo, who has lived in Asheville for a decade and the Grovemont community for four years, said closing the library is “the wrong direction” for the community. “That’s the wrong direction,” Wingo said. “The wrong direction for growth. We want it to grow the other way. We don’t want it to contract. We want this to be a place where families move.”