No more 'Hamilton County' in public library name

Friday, January 1, 1904

photo Rebecca and Scott Turner leave the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library with their four-year-olds, Carson, left, and Branham, carrying armloads of books today as they pass the sculpture in this file photo.

The marquee may stay the same, but the public library no longer will be the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library.

"Bicentennial library is not what they will go by," City Attorney Mike McMahan told council members.

Council members discussed the future of the library during a meeting Tuesday of the Legal, Legislative and Public Safety Committee. The council was set to vote on an ordinance that night to change city code to take the library's board from a city-and-county entity to a seven-member city-only board.

The council voted 9-0 to defer the matter until next week because of issues with language in the draft ordinance. The council members wanted more clarification.

McMahan told council members the name would stay the same on the front of the downtown library, but would be changed to either "Chattanooga Public Library" or "The Public Library," its unofficial title now.

Richard Beeland, spokesman for Mayor Ron Littlefield, said that once the ordinance is approved, a new board will be appointed right away.

"The current board will be dissolved soon," he said.

In other news, the council voted 9-0 Tuesday to authorize the Department of Parks and Recreation to distribute a stipend of $300 to high school and middle school students who completed the Next-In-Line Volunteer Internship Program over the summer.

The Next-In-Line internship is part of the Students That Unite and Take Initiative Against Gangs, or STUNTING, program.

STUNTING recruits gang members and students within the inner city to try to steer them away from illegal activities and get them involved in programs like music, dance and video production.

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