News

$65K to be spent on new chairs, tables for Palm Springs library

Published January 25, 2018 11:47 AM

It’s easy to read the condition of some of the chairs in the Palm Springs Public Library. Major tears are in the seats of several chairs that were bought for the library in the 1980s.

Not to judge a book by its cover, but the chairs not that comfortable, either.

“I think more comfortable seats are in order. I sat in some of those, they are not terrific,” said Fran Spiro, who is visiting from New York.“Well, my 80-year-old back, I knew if I sat there much longer than half an hour I would feel it,” said Charles Springfield, who regularly comes to the library.

The Palm Springs City Council is scheduled to write the last chapter for the seats by voting to replace some of these older chairs and tables. They will spend more than $65,000 to replace them.

Here’s how the city and the library justify the cost. The library gets about 20,000 visitors a month, so the city needs to replace these chairs with something durable.The furniture the city is looking to buy is handmade in America by Agaiti Furniture, a company that was prequalified by the state through a cooperative services purchasing agreement.

“It is made for commercial use; it is designed for libraries. Libraries are just like any other place that has heavy traffic like airports or hospitals,” said Jeannie Kays, director of the Palm Springs Public Library.

The fabric for some of these chairs is rated for one million sittings before it starts to wear.“We have done our best to be fiscally responsible and make the furniture last but it has come to the end of its lifespan,” Kays said.