County library system to close Fire Station 2 satellite branch Dec. 31; staff reassigned

Leslie Clark, director of the Chesapeake Regional Library System, told the Dallas County Board of Commissioners at a work session that the satellite branch located at Fire Station 2 will close on Dec. 31. “It is sad that we have come to the decision to close the satellite library at Fire Station 2,” Clark said, citing patronship patterns and staffing shortfalls.

Clark said fewer than 40% of the branch’s patrons reside in Dawson County (her analysis put the figure in the high 30s and rising to about 86–87% if Lumpkin County patrons and the main branch are combined across the two-county system). The system also lost staff this fall, she said, leaving a 47-hour deficit at the main branch; staff will be moved from the satellite site to fill that gap.

Clark asked the county to retain the leased space through the main-branch renovation so the facility could be used as a temporary pickup and limited-browsing site when the main branch closes for carpet and painting. She said the Pines consortium can “mask” and unmask the collection so patrons can pick up holds and that, after renovations, shelving and materials could be returned to the main branch and the county could take back the leased space.

The board did not record a formal vote in the work session; Clark’s presentation closed after commissioners had no substantive questions during the recorded segments. The county will need to address lease and space-retention arrangements and any logistics for transferring patrons and materials if the board or staff proceed with the planned Dec. 31 closure.