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Local budget cuts seem to have impacted libraries everywhere. Denver has slashed hours at four of its 23 branches; in Jefferson County, libraries are closing on Mondays; and in Englewood, branches will close an hour earlier each day, notes Denver Post columnist Susan Thornton. But one group of readers in Aurora has found a way to keep their library open. Thanks to a homeowners’ association, later this month the city of Aurora will re-open the Mission Viejo library, which was one of four shuttered by budget cuts last year (via The Denver Post).
The Aurora City Council capitulated in the face of a lawsuit, promising to re-open Mission Viejo for at least one year. The HOA maintains the city has an agreement with the developer of the neighborhood dating to 1973 that promises to keep the library open. While the suit might still move forward, city officials are scrambling to re-open the library at a cost of more than $200,000. Last month, 9News reported that after the closures, some Aurora residents flooded the Arapahoe Library District’s branches, leading to limits there on visitors who do not pay taxes to that system.