Read along to see the benefits of library visits
BY DENNY BARNEY
How long has it been since you’ve visited your local public library? If it has been a while, “keep reading” and find out what you have been missing.
Public libraries were established to encourage literacy within the general population. This is still relevant; Maricopa County
has a 12 percent illiteracy rate. But there is an obvious shift occurring. The libraries you remember when you were a kid have changed. A lot. Overdrive, Freegal, Rocket Languages, OneClickDigital, Gale eBooks—these are the materials in demand in Maricopa County. The libraries now must fill the literacy gap and bridge the digital divide.
We have 17 libraries in Maricopa County where more than 250,000 people visit each month to check-out materials, rent rooms and participate in classes and workshops. Many are children. Just like when your parents would take you to the library—many of the same programs still
exist—summer reading programs are a hit even today. But our libraries have changed with the times and the offerings to kids and teens have evolved as well.
Kids can check out a book, join a selfguided science class or a Crazy 8s Math Club. It’s harder to lure teenagers to a library, but activities like the Teen Video Challenge and classes on Zentangle (go ahead, “Google” it) have kept the inbetweeners engaged.
Yet the library serves adults too, bridging the wants of a younger generation and the needs of their elders. The library’s shift into digital mediums has served our adult community in three very important ways: access, ability and affinity.
Access: We think the Internet is everywhere. But there are those constituents who rely on our libraries for computer and internet access. Many are not just searching for recreational purposes, but are researching employment opportunities. In this way, our libraries provide economic opportunities.
Ability: Many older adults who might have access to technology don’t know how to use it. Learning how to download an app or an e-book or just browse the Internet can be an intimidating prospect.
If you know someone that could use this kind of assistance, let them know about the following:
Robson Library (Sun Lakes)—Download an E-book One-On-One Help. This class is exactly as it sounds.
Southeast Regional (Gilbert)—One-onOne Digital. Attendees get personal one-on-one instruction browsing digital catalogs, accessing and using the Internet and basic computer training.
Perry Library (Chandler)—Get to Know Your Device: Apple. Attendees can learn basic functions and features of their iPad or iPhone. Perry Library also has classes such as “Don’t Know Much About: Twitter.”
Queen Creek Library— Teen Tech Experts. Volunteer teenagers help adult learners use the computer and impart their digital know-how.
Affinity: Public libraries also offer residents a chance to connect with their neighbors. Aside from courses to improve your tech-acumen, there are a variety of interest group classes, such as
self-publishing, critiquing films, learning Spanish and researching genealogy, which bring people together. Chances are there is a local library group that meets on something that interests you. Search your local branch’s events calendar. Clearly libraries have evolved, but their mission has stayed the same. Libraries are pillars of a democratic society, educating the populace and creating opportunities that promote equality. We hope you will visit yours soon! For help getting a library card: www.mcldaz.org/help/default. aspx#getcard.
Denny Barney is a Gilbert resident and member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
DENNY BARNEY: Gilbert resident and member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
Our libraries have changed with the times and the offerings to kids and teens have evolved as well.
monthly fees on solar customers unfair, unjustified
BY SEAN GALLAGHER
All Arizonans should have the choice to use solar and other technologies to meet their own power needs on their own property.
But Salt River Project’s (SRP) decision to single out customers
who generate their own power and hit them with a new charge averaging $50 each month seriously jeopardizes the future of rooftop solar on homes, farms, businesses, churches, schools and military bases in the Greater Phoenix area. The charges are so high that some customers would actually pay more after installing solar than before—which is simply not right.
Solar is the fastest-growing source of renewable energy in America, employing nearly 175,000 American workers and pumping $15 billion a year into the U.S. economy. The 1,929 megawatts (MW) of solar energy currently installed in Arizona ranks the state second in the country in installed solar capacity and is enough to power 271,000 homes. The Arizona solar industry employs 9,170 workers at 637 establishments throughout the state and is ranked No. 3 in solar jobs nationally. In 2013, $1.2 billion was invested in Arizona to install solar for home, business and utility use, providing them with clean energy and helping them reduce their utility bills.
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) doesn’t object to investigating the costs and benefits of solar generation and net energy metering, or to ensuring everyone who benefits from the grid pays for those benefits. We do object to the imposition of charges that seem punitive, and that don’t take all of the facts into consideration. Despite its rhetoric suggesting that solar customers shift utility costs onto others, SRP failed to back up its assertions with facts. SEIA objects to the broad assumption that any differential in payments by customers necessarily reflects an unjustified “cost shift.” Retail utility rates often include cost shifts—such as setting the same rates for rural and urban utility customers of all types (urban customers are typically less costly to serve due to population density)—that functionally serve as cross-subsidies. These cost shifts are justified by a variety of public purposes, both practical and policy-
driven. It’s neither logical nor fair to rewrite ratemaking rules for one set of customers or one policy initiative, while ignoring similar effects of other rates and policies.
Unfortunately, SRP’s rate increase would have the practical effect of stymying—if not killing—the growth of rooftop solar in its service territory, hurting thousands of its own customers who understandably want to use their rooftops to generate their own energy, using Arizona’s abundant sunlight. Although SRP agreed to last-minute changes, mostly protecting the thousands of families, businesses and churches that have already installed solar from being hit with unfair charges, new solar customers face the full brunt of the new charges. These new solar customers are being asked to bear costs that are disproportional to the value they are receiving—and that ignore the benefits they are actually providing to the grid.
Before SRP proposed its rate hike in late 2014, the Arizona Republic reported that more than 600 customers a month were adding solar power, most through leases, and without the utility providing any incentives as it had in years past. But only about 20 customers have requested to interconnect solar arrays since the Dec. 8 deadline to avoid the new fees. Why the slowdown?
SRP says its new charges represent one solar customer paying for a connection to the grid, but numbers produced by SRP do not add up.
• The SRP proposal says new customers will have a tiered demand charge as well as a facilities charge, which together will hit the average new solar customer with a $50 a month increase on their bill.
• The new charges would be in addition to the regular SRP monthly basic service charge.
• The charges are so high that some customers would actually pay more after installing solar than before. The board approved the plan even though hundreds of customers showed up at meetings to denounce it. Whether it was by design or by accident, we believe SRP’s rate decision is fatally flawed. We strongly urge SRP to go back to the drawing board, and we are ready to help SRP develop a plan that is fair and that reflects the benefits to both solar customers and the grid provided by rooftop solar.
Sean Gallagher is the vice president of state affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
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Sound Off: WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
SOUND OFF was transcribed from our Sound Off line during the past month. Sound Off is a monthly editorial feature of Gilbert Sun News. We encourage you to participate. As long as it's not profane or libelous we will print it in our next issue. Calls are limited to one minute. Please leave your name only if you'd like it printed. Come on, get it off your chest!
Three ways to Sound Off: e-mail us at: soundoff@gilbertsunnews.com leave a message at: (480) 348-0343 Option 8 visit: www.gilbertsunnews.com
Why is it people today don’t seem to remember you can’t let people who don’t like the law change the law? Wasn’t that always called anarchy, not revolution? There’s a big difference.
Millions of Americans agree with Rudy Giuliani that President Obama does not love this country as other presidents have. Since Obama is in office, he has constantly criticized the United States. Check out Obama’s upbringing and who his mentors were. You will find out he does not love this country.
In case you haven’t yet noticed, the only time TV media allows the public to see the truth is on midnight programs with knowledgeable people like (former U.S.) Ambassador Susan Rice, who appears to be the only woman capable of unscrambling the mixed message so the American public can understand. The Muslim peaceful nations vs. the evil of ISIS. If you don’t hear the right people speaking, you’re getting the wrong news. Broadcasters don’t care about the truth, they only care about the bottom dollar.
My question: As an American voter who do you think was elected president of the United States in the last election: John Boehner, John McCain, Benjamin Netanyahu or Barack
Obama? Interesting. You better look at it again. You’ll be in for a big surprise.
Well the seas are rising in the Palm Beach area. If there are any engineering genius brains they better start building canals and make Palm Beach just like America’s Venice. They must be around somewhere. That’s what it’s going to take because they’re not going to turn the ocean back. Hey brains wake up and build the Venice of America in Palm Beach. Understand?
Regarding the Arias trial result: Grandma has just three words for all romantic couples in today’s new world: be fair and beware.
It has been revealed that Hillary Clinton has been using her personal email account with a server in her home to conduct business. This is illegal. What was Hillary Clinton trying to hide by doing this illegal thing?
Why is the United States negotiating with Iran, whose ayatollah and people are shouting “Death to America”? They’ve sworn to destroy Israel and then come after us. They are behind the terrorist activities in the Middle East at a very dangerous time in the history where the world is on fire. We have a president, who is immature, arrogant and treats our enemies better than he teats our allies. Our allies are very few in the
world. We need a leader in the White House, not Obama.
I’m calling about a pet peeve of mine and it has to do with (big box store). The (store) is trying to position themselves as being trendy and stylish. They want to appeal to people purchasing products for babies, kids and wellness products. My pet peeve is the bathrooms are filthy. They don’t even provide toilet seat covers in the bathroom. For all the kids who come into the stores, they don’t provide adequate sanitation. It’s really disgusting.
Only one person in 12 (of the Jodi Arias jury) in today’s vindictive world in the courts knew about compassion for human failings of emotions. God help the next generations in America. It’s all about getting even, getting even, getting even.
Why are you still flying your American flag? A geographical entity that has no control over its borders, language or elections cannot be called a country. Maybe it’s just nostalgia over what America used to be. Please tell me.
So all the sympathy goes to the playboy, boo hoo. No sympathy for the girl that he ruined. “She was just a party girl.” So what, she’s a bad girl because she flipped her wig and made him pay for what he did to her. It’s still a man’s world.
George Soros, who funds many liberal organizations, made billions of dollars
betting on currency’s movements. The Koch brothers, who fund many conservative groups, made their money by creating thousands of jobs to manufacture industrial and consumer products.
How much longer is it going to take for these supposed intelligent people running for public office to stop the backstabbing and realize the people are sick of them? Get on with what you’re supposed to be doing—helping the people of America.
Where did seniors’ common sense go? Stop wasting taxpayers’ money on college sports. Let it be supported with fan and supporter donations.
Well, another freeway tie up. When are some smart engineers going to invent some sort of portable overpass to keep the traffic moving?
If you’re trying to explain the sameness of humanity to the Tea Party knuckleheads, but they’re not getting the point, maybe they should watch “Empire” and it will prove there is no difference between white and black men in Wall Street and politics. They’re all the same kinds of knuckleheads.
