Our very own Judy Klein was featured on the WJCT “First Coast Connect” program yesterday. If you missed it, here are instructions to play the program online:

Log onto wjct.org.

Click on Radio

Click on Listen Online

Page down until you see Weekly Programming in blue on left side of page.

Click on Wed.

The program should play.  It starts with a report from Tallahassee. The Friends of the Murray Hill Library segment comes on at about 4:34 minutes into the program.

JTA is hosting a public hearing Friday, July 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 – 6 p.m. at the JTA administrative offices at 100 N. Myrtle Avenue.  The purpose of the hearing is to present proposed changes to the transit system (including Riverside Trolley) that go into effect September 6, 2010, and get public feedback.  

Support for the proposed Riverside Trolley service is critical to its continued success, thus we are asking you to encourage your continuants / employees to comment on the proposed new Riverside Trolley Service (see map).  If they are not able to attend the public hearing, they can submit their comments on the proposed route before the public hearing at the www.JTAFLA.com website or simply by clicking here http://www.jtafla.com/RidingJTA/showPage.aspx?Sel=19.

If you have any questions about the hearing, please feel free to contact me or call 904 630-3100.

Thanks!

Endya M. Freeman MBA

Business Relations and Development

Jacksonville Transportation Authority

100 N. Myrtle Avenue

Jacksonville, FL  32203

Office 904.630.3197

Dear Friends of the Murray Hill Library, 

We are now over 750 members strong.  We had a very successful rally on July 1st with about 200 of you attending.  We are getting great media coverage, print, radio and TV. Now, it’s crunch time.  We need you now more than ever.  We need to be there when the Mayor delivers his budget speech on July 14th. We need to be there when the City Council Finance Committee discusses the new budget on July 20th.  And we need to be there on July 27th when the full City Council meets.  We will be allowed to speak on July 20th and 27th. Let your voices be heard.  We cannot let the City Council get away with giving the Murray Hill Library a punch in the gut! They must fully fund our libraries.

We need to have a very large showing in the City Council chambers, first for the Mayor’s budget presentation at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 14, and especially on July 20th for the Finance Committee meeting.  Those are the people who will decide what to recommend to the full City Council for the new budget.  They need to see us in great numbers sitting in those Council chambers, with our tee shirts on.  All the City Council members face either term-limited elimination, or challengers in the March election.  In any event, we must make them know that we will closely watch the way they treat the libraries and our community, Murray Hill.

You can also help by contacting the Mayor and City Council Finance Committee members to ask them to restore library funding–they are the ones who decide how much funding the library system gets.  Also, you can write to the Library Director, Barbara Gubbin, and the Library Board of Trustees–if the city tells them their funds are being cut, they are the ones who decide what programs or facilities to cut.  Ask them to rethink their priorities.  If cuts are necessary, let them be fair, across the board at all libraries.  Ask them to implement one of their options: close all libraries, except the Main Library, on Mondays.  This option was in their plan, but was discarded in favor of targeting five libraries for drastic cuts.

How to contact the decision-makers:

For the Library Director and Board of Trustees, send an email to donnar@coj.net and ask her to forward your comments to Barbara Gubbin and the Library Board of Trustees.

For the mayor, call 630-1776, or email jpeyton@coj.net.

And for the City Council Finance Committee:

Warren Jones, 630-1395, WAjones@coj.net

Michael Corrigan, 630-1390, Corrigan@coj.net

Kevin Hyde, 630-1398, khyde@coj.net

Ronnie Fussell, 630-1393, RonnieF@coj.net

Daniel Davis, 630-1380, DDavis@coj.net

Denise Lee, 630-1385, EDlee@coj.net

Ray Holt, 630-1383, Holt@coj.net

Please, when your Communication Team person calls you to ask you to attend any of the meetings I’ve talked about here, please say yes and be there if you can.  We cannot drop the ball now.  It’s the only way we can win our library hours back. 

If you have suggestions on how we can best be effective, please don’t hesitate to contact me at librarynancy81@yahoo.com, and our committee will be glad to consider your suggestions.

Thank you so much.

Nancy Morgan, Chairperson

Friends of the Murray Hill Library

Looking for a job?

Did you know that FREE help is available to you right here at the Murray Hill Library?

Click here for a schedule of WorkSource’s visit to the Murray Hill Library.

Click here for the flyer outlining available services.

Click here to visit the main WorkSource Florida web site.

One of our most popular events is back!

Join MHPA for an old-fashioned ice cream social sponsored by Prudential Network Realty. The fun begins at 7 p.m., Thursday, July 22, 2010, at the Murray Hill Presbyterian Church, 940 Talbot Avenue.

Barbara Langston and Jon Grogan of B. Langston’s will provide information and appraisals for items you bring in. A minimum $5 donation per item to MHPA is appreciated.

Don’t miss this interesting event. Last year, we had items worth up to $1,000 that people had found around their homes. Barbara and John provide a wealth of knowledge, shared with the crowd, and you will definitely be entertained!

Special thanks to our event sponsors:

 Prudential Network Realty

and

The Friends of the Murray Hill Library invites you to attend the next meeting of the Jacksonville Public Library Board of Trustees. The meeting is at noon on Thursday, July 8,2010 at the Main Library, 303 N. Laura St. Please use the Main Street entrance and enter the conference room.

Please wear your Friends of the Murray Hill Library t-shirts so the board can see our numbers! You may order a t-shirt by clicking here.

Rally and March to the Library!  

Thursday, July 1st. at 7:00 pm

Meet at Murray Hill Presbyterian Church.

Bring your own signs to carry on the march.  Tee shirts for sale – only $10 each.

Let our voices be heard.  Join us!!!

Save our Library!!!

Parking available at Murray Hill Presbyterian Church, 940 Talbot Avenue, at the corner of Post Street and Talbot Avenue. Street parking available on Talbot and Post Street.

Walked down to the library
The city closed the door
What will come of this our place,
What trouble is in store
 
Cutting back the hours there
Will take away the chance
For folks with little money
To join the common dance
 
But this is our community
And here we have our heart
Our world is close around us.
Our library’s a part.
 
Mary Lou Sutherlin
6/21/2010