GREENHILLS — Dozens of speakers pleaded with library officials Tuesday night to keep the Greenhills branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County open.

The library board promised a decision Nov. 11.

Speakers ranged from 78-year-old Frederick Weissborn, a Greenhills resident since 1959, to 8-year-old Eric Reardon, who started going to the library before he could read.

Earlier in the day, the owner of the Greenhills Shopping Center offered the branch two years of free rent if library officials agree to sign a five-year lease to stay in the village.

The Greenhills branch was one of five targeted for closure in July, before the library board decided to postpone the closures so they could search for a solution to its $4.3 million budget shortfall in a series of public hearings.

A crowd of about 400 packed the Winton Woods Middle School auditorium for the last of those public hearings Tuesday night.

At Tuesday's hearing, the board also received more than 400 letters from Beechwoods Elementary School students who want the library to stay open.

Dominic Lindeman, a fourth-grader at the school, said closing the library would be bad for the environment.

“We would have to drive to get to a library more than walking, riding bikes, skateboards, roller blades and scooters. Everyone would have to pollute the air more than we already do,” he said.

Hamilton County's 41 branches make it the fifth-largest system in the nation.

The vast majority of the library system's funding comes from state income tax. Although the library received the same percentage of income tax money as last year, those revenues have fallen 7 percent, meaning a smaller take to fund an operating budget of $52.5 million.

Dennis Brennan, manager of the shopping center, said he made his rent offer because the library is so important to this community. The branch has been a tenant in the shopping center for 39 years.

Other library branches facing possible closure are Bond Hill, Deer Park, Elmwood Place and Mount Healthy.

The closures would save $1.5 million annually.

A final decision on that offer, and on whether to close one or more branches will be made by the library's board of directors at the Nov. 11 meeting.

The library board can also consider layoffs, reduced purchases of books, hiring freezes, reduced operating hours and halting capital projects, said Charles Lindberg, library board treasurer.

Kimber Fender, the library's executive director, said the budget looks bleak for next year as well. The library board is expecting a state appropriation less than it received in 1998, when it was $49 million.

That news persuaded the library board to send letters to all of its landlords, asking if rent could be waived.

So far, only Greenhills and Elmwood Place have responded with a rent-free offer.

“We are still in a very difficult situation,” Ms. Fender said.

E-mail dklepal@enquirer.com

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