Letter to the editor
Published 1:30 am Saturday, April 18, 2026
In 2024, The Daily World published two opinion page letters by me, regarding my concerns of Timberland Regional Library Administration plans to “refresh” our public libraries.
The tall outdoor playground equipment, tube slide included, were already installed inside Westport’s TRL.
In my opinion, children should be discovering the wonder of books and the care of them; small toys. Yes, large playground equipment, no, inside the building.
I questioned the expense, time spent monitoring and sanitizing the equipment by staff and also questioned the removal of shelves and hundreds of books from the Montesano TRL while taking photos in both libraries
With my photos, letters and articles of others who wrote of their TRL concerns to The Daily World, Mason County Journal and The Observer, (Naselle area) I created 650 packets and mailed them to Washington State Politicians, ALL TRL Trustees, TRL head office employees and TRL Libraries.
Packets were given at Grays Harbor Commissioner, Montesano City Council, Montesano Chamber of Commerce and Friends of the Library meetings I attended and spoke; family, friends and anyone requesting packets.
I’m grateful to generous people who donated one hundred dollars copier ink and stamps to help with that time consuming and expensive project, which I’ve chosen not to name for fear of retaliation from the TRL head office personnel to them which happened, (read Brooke Pederson’s editorial page letter published March 24, 2026, by The Daily World).
Now, it’s 2026 with TRL head office announcing TRL is three million dollars in debt, beginning in 2023.
This tells us how badly the TRL head office administration, TRL Trustees selected by their County Commissioners have mismanaged our Rural Public Libraries!
So I ask:
1. Knowing of the 2023 debt, why did TRL Administrators continue with “refresh” plans and why did their Trustees approve those plans?
2. Where did the missing shelves and hundreds of books go? Then in 2026 TRL Administrators announced their budget will not allow new book purchases?
3. In early 2026 TRL office announced two TRL administrators would get 15 percent raises while laying off up to 61 TRL personnel! Did their Trustees approve this?
4. The Mason County Journal (January 15, 2026 issue) printed an article with photo of the Belfair TRL announcing its closure from January to May or June, 2026 for renovations while knowing of the three million dollar debt.
Did TRL Trustees OK this plan?
Cheryl Heywood, TRL Executive Director announced her resignation, March 25, 2026.
Hopefully, any TRL headquarter positions will be filled by experienced, efficient caring people with common sense and the TRL Trustees including their respective County Commissioners have learned from this TRL fiasco and will turn this public library crisis around.
A remarkable example of a successful turn around happened in 2024 with Matlock’s District 12 Fire Department.
District 125 was experiencing gross mismanagement and fraud.(Look up Mason County District 12 fire association 7.0) Local citizens saw what was happening, worked extremely hard, had many “packed house” meetings and turned that horrific mess around.
Today, District 12 is operated by honest, dedicated citizens who proved “Power of intelligent people with integrity and common sense works.” And I am fiercely proud of them!
If you disapprove of happenings where you live, attend meetings, be brave, speak up, write letters to editors. You can make a difference!
My response to people say “no one uses libraries anymore” is “Yes they do, from young children to elderly and taxpayers who own our public libraries must fight to protect them and keep them staffed and open to ALL.
To all of you in the newspaper business from editors to delivery people, thank you with great respect for all you do.
Pat Bossard
Wynooche Valley
