For nearly two years, the Janet F. Harte Public Library has operated under restrictions — the result of a state safety mandate that forced cuts to its hours. While hours have since been restored to 40 a week, the library remains the only public library serving Flour Bluff and Padre Island, making its future a matter of significant community concern.
Now, that concern has grown into a larger fight over trust between city staff and the library's own advisory board.
At Tuesday's Corpus Christi City Council meeting, city staff revealed a proposed partition wall at the library that could cost up to $180,000. The library's advisory board says they were not informed about the proposal until that meeting.
Deborah Alvarado, a Flour Bluff resident, said the library serves a critical role in the community.
"The library is super important to Flour Bluff and the island community. It is the main library. Adults come here, families come here, children come here," Alvarado said.
Library Board Chair Marilynna Garza says the board went more than a month without an update before Tuesday's meeting and questioned why they were excluded from the process.
"I have to ask, what is the purpose of an advisory board if staff chooses when, or if, to involve us," Garza said.
Garza is now asking the City Council for specific commitments going forward.
"I'm asking council for three things: the complete report when it's done. Have them present its findings publicly and in a way that the community can ask questions, and provide a long-term restoration plan," Garza said.
City Manager Peter Zanoni addressed the communication concern directly at Tuesday's meeting.
"We've promised her to continue to do a better job in communicating with her and the library board. If there's no update, even telling them that. We appreciate Ms. Garza's passion for the library," Zanoni said.
As of now, no final design has been approved and no firm cost estimate for the wall has been established. City leaders say they are committed to better communication with the board going forward.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
