JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
The Beene Pearson Public Library has officially withdrawn from the Marion County Library Board following a vote of 3 to 2 during South Pittsburg’s recent city meeting.
The decision, debated at length during a workshop meeting on Tuesday, June 3, was brought back up during the regular monthly meeting before the final vote. Several county residents and community members spoke during Public Comments, offering their thoughts on the proposed withdrawal. Christine Van Hamersveld of Marion County voiced her support, stating now was the perfect time for change in how the library is governed.
Former library director Kellye Hogan also supported the move, explaining that remaining under the Library Board provided no guarantee of the library receiving its full allocated funding. She noted that since her termination, more than 350 petition signatures—roughly 10% of South Pittsburg’s population—had been collected in favor of reinstating her as library director.
“Beene Pearson Public Library has been without a library director for more than two months. I strongly encourage the City Commission to accept money being offered by the County Commission to fund our library,” Hogan said.
During the previous workshop, Commissioner Mike Allen expressed his support for the library’s withdrawal. He pointed to recent controversies surrounding the Library Board and argued it would be in the library’s best interest to become independent and receive funding directly from the County Commission, rather than through the Library Board.
Support also came from Katie Collier of Chattanooga State Community College’s Kimball campus and Duke Raulston of South Pittsburg. Collier said the change would benefit the community, particularly local schools and the library’s summer reading programs. Raulston felt the move gave the library its best chance to grow and succeed as an independent facility.
“There was a lot of neat stuff that was happening with the library, and now it’s going back to the way it was. And I’m not happy about that,” Raulston said at the close of the workshop.
Mayor Shawn Hensen initially motioned to table the discussion until more information could be gathered and a meeting could be held with both the Library Board and Hogan in hopes of reaching a resolution. Commissioner Allen, however, opposed the delay, saying Hogan’s termination had no bearing on the council’s decision. He argued that upon withdrawal, the library would begin receiving its funding directly from the County Commission, which led him to move forward with the vote.
The Beene Pearson Library, originally dedicated to South Pittsburg in May 1968, was once supervised by the Caney Fork Regional Library. Over the years, it became a valued part of the community, where many residents continue to show their support and hope to see it flourish.
The withdrawal was approved by a 3-2 roll call vote. Mayor Hensen and Vice Mayor Matt Stone voted in favor of the library remaining under the Library Board, while Commissioners Mike Allen, Beth Duggar, and Ronny Myers voted in favor of withdrawal and a shift to municipal governance.
