Shafter Library to reopen for 3 months

The City Council approved an agreement with Kern County to open the Shafter Library for two days a week for the next three months, beginning in April.

In March 2020, the library was closed due to the coronavirus and it remained closed because of budget constraints.

A group of citizens wanted to reopen the library, stating that the library is necessary for children and adults. With a number of libraries in the county reopening, it was deemed not feasible to open the Shafter branch.

The newly approved agreement will allow residents to use the library services for education, personal enjoyment, and also employment searches.

Under the agreement, the County of Kern will open the library for two days a week, with the city of Shafter reimbursing the costs of the operation, with an amount not to exceed $4,000. The agreement would be to the end of the fiscal year. There is an Adhoc Committee that is looking into options to keep the library open after the agreement is complete.

The City Council also heard a presentation from Christine Wilson, a living organ donor, about April being proclaimed Donate Life Awareness month.

Wilson donated a kidney to help save a local woman's life. Wilson encouraged everyone to check yes on their licenses, making them donors for the much needed supply of organs available for transplant. The city agreed to lend their name for a Donate Life campaign, including allowing the group One Legacy to have donor information included on the city's website, as well as having the city's logo on flyers and their website. There is no cost to the city for this action.