In 1986, the citizens of the Pikes Peak Library District voted to approve an increase in the mill levy from 2 mills to 4 mills. This funding was designated for ongoing operating support, laying a stronger financial foundation for the district.
➤ July 17, 1986
The Rockrimmon Library officially opened to the public in 1989. The first lease agreement was signed with Matt Sahin, marking the beginning of the library’s decades-long presence in the community. The lease is from September 1, 1989 through August 31, 1995 (6 years).
➤ November 11, 1989
🔗 Download 1989 Lease Agreement (PDF)
In 1995, PPLD brought a ballot initiative to voters to raise the mill levy again. The proposal did not pass, leaving funding levels unchanged.
➤ 1995
🔗 View PPLD History (External Link)
In an effort to secure additional funding, the Pikes Peak Library District placed a mill levy increase on the 1995 ballot. However, the measure was not approved by voters, maintaining the existing tax rate and limiting available resources.
➤1995
🔗 View PPLD History (External Link)
The District returned to voters in 2003 with another proposal to raise the mill levy, but it was again unsuccessful. The continued lack of additional funding would influence operational and strategic decisions in the years to come.
➤ 2003
🔗 View PPLD History (External Link)
Wayne Vanderschuere was appointed as President of the Pikes Peak Library District Board of Trustees. He would serve for three years, playing a central role in key decisions about the library system and the Rockrimmon branch. This was his first 5-year term. He was not reappointed for his second 5-year term (see 2/8/22).
➤ January 8, 2019
Backup documentation is in the Dec. 11, 2018 file (Page 7).
The lease for theRockrimmon Library facility at 832 Village Center Drive is slated to expire December 31, 2019. PPLD staff worked with the landlord to develop terms for a 5-year lease extension. The annual rent for 2020 will be $174,833.52 and the new lease includes one month of free rent. Motion: Ned Stoll moved that the Pikes Peak Library District Board of Trustees approve the terms of the lease extension for the Rockrimmon Library for the period January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2024 as presented. Second: Vote: EXECUTIVE SESSION Motion: Second: Vote: Scott Taylor seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously, 6 months before the 180 day lease clause would take effect.
➤ January 8, 2019
🔗 Download Lease Extension Details (PDF)
Carrie Geitner was sworn in as El Paso County Commissioner for District 2. Her role would later prove influential in Board of Trustee appointments and district leadership decisions.
➤ January 12, 2021
Aaron Salt was elected to the Academy District 20 Board of Education, signaling a shift in local education governance. He would later become a significant figure in PPLD decisions.
➤ November 19, 2021
On November 30, 2021, the Colorado Springs City Council declined to reappoint PPLD Board of Trustees President Wayne Vanderschuere and outgoing trustee Cathy Grossman. Grossman was term-limited as of December 31, 2021, while Vanderschuere’s first term was ending. Despite his position as board president, he was not recommended for reappointment by the PPLD library liaisons — Randy Helms, Holly Williams, Wayne Williams, and Carrie Geitner. Their recommendation favored new candidates Aaron Salt and Erin Bents. Council’s rejection of a sitting board president was highly unusual. “It is uncommon for the council not to reappoint board members, particularly those in leadership positions.”
➤ November 30, 2021
After 30 years of service to PPLD, Chief Financial Officer Mike Varnet retired. His departure marked the end of a long tenure of institutional knowledge in the district’s financial leadership.
➤ December 31, 2021
On January 1, 2022, Randy Greene was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Pikes Peak Library District, selected from a small applicant pool. Unlike previous CFOs, Greene did not hold a CPA license — a departure from typical hiring standards for this role. At the same time, the district’s mill levy was set at 3.49 for the year, continuing a trend of constrained operating revenue.
➤ January 1, 2022
On February 8, 2022, Aaron Salt and Erin Bents were appointed to the PPLD Board of Trustees. Meanwhile, Wayne Vanderschuere’s second term was not renewed. The decision drew sharp criticism from community members who cited it as an overtly political reshuffling.
➤ February 8, 2022
🔗 Read about the Board Appointment Controversy
On February 8, 2022, the PPLD Board of Trustees added two new members — Aaron Salt and Erin Bents — while President Wayne Vanderschuere was not reappointed for a second term. This move, shaped by recommendations from politically aligned library liaisons, broke with precedent and triggered growing concerns about board politicization.
➤ February 8, 2022
🔗 Read about the Board Appointment Controversy
Just ten days later, on February 18, 2022, CEO John Spears announced his resignation. In his public statement, he cited the contentious appointment process as a sign of broader ideological shifts:
“It is my hope that the values that define a library — such as freedom of expression, freedom of thought, and freedom of speech — will continue to be honored. I look forward to moving to a community where they are not under threat.”
➤ February 18, 2022
🔗 KRDO Article – John Spears Statement
On April 1, 2022, Teona Shainidze-Krebs was appointed interim CEO and Chief Librarian. The application process was later revised (Jan 18, 2023) to accommodate applicants without an MLS or MLIS, even though a master’s degree is required for branch manager roles.
➤ April 1, 2022
🔗 Job Description – PPLD Site
In July 2022, the Board initially voted (4–3) to pursue a mill levy increase for the November ballot. Trustees Aaron Salt, Erin Bents, and Scott Taylor voted against. After internal deliberations, the Board reversed its position and withdrew the initiative.
➤ July 2022
🔗 Read More – Article
On November 16, 2022, the PPLD Board hired Nicola Sapp as a financial consultant. Sapp, formerly El Paso County’s Budget Director (until 2019), was tasked with revamping PPLD’s year-end budget reporting. She replaced the district’s traditional 200-page report with a 15-page spreadsheet summary. While intended to improve clarity, this change raised concerns about reduced budget transparency.
➤ November 16, 2022
🔗 BoT Board Packet, pg. 2 – Consultant Hire
Also on November 16, 2022, the Board approved up to $500,000 to hire a consultant to develop a district-wide Facilities Master Plan. This plan would ultimately guide decisions on building closures, relocations, and capital investments. (The final cost came in at $286,000.)
➤ November 16, 2022
On January 1, 2023, Julie Smyth — affiliated with Charis Bible College — was appointed to the PPLD Board of Trustees. Her appointment reinforced a trend of ideologically aligned leadership at the governance level.
➤ January 1, 2023
The mill levy collected for PPLD operations in 2023 was set at 3.512, a modest increase from 3.49 in 2022.
➤ January 1, 2023
In March 2023, PPLD's Facilities team shared a draft scope of work for the district-wide Facilities Master Plan with the Board of Trustees. This was a foundational step in outlining priorities for space utilization and building assessments.
➤ March 2023
On April 6, 2023, the Board officially appointed Teona Shainidze-Krebs as PPLD’s permanent CEO and Chief Librarian. She had previously served as an ESL instructor and Director of Adult Education.
➤ April 6, 2023
🔗 PPLD Meeting Minutes – April 16, 2023
Library workers formally launched Pikes Peak Library Workers United (PPLWU) on April 28, 2023, marking a significant moment in staff advocacy and labor organizing within the district.
➤ April 28, 2023
Library workers formally launched Pikes Peak Library Workers United (PPLWU) on April 28, 2023, marking a significant moment in staff advocacy and labor organizing within the district.
➤ May 2023
By June 2023, four consultant firms had submitted proposals for PPLD’s Facilities Master Plan. The Facilities team began evaluating them for scope, cost, and expertise.
➤ June 2023
In July 2023, the Board of Trustees awarded the contract for the Facilities Master Plan to HB&A, a Colorado Springs-based consulting firm. HB&A had previously worked with organizations such as Charis Bible College and Andrew Wommack Ministries.
➤ July 2023
A kickoff meeting for the Facilities Master Plan took place on August 9, 2023. This marked the formal launch of the project’s development phase with HB&A.
➤ August 2023
HB&A began work on the Facilities Master Plan in October 2023. Public progress updates had not yet been made available.
➤ October 2023
Rockrimmon Library building owner begins the process of alerting PPLD to renew the 5 year lease by January 2024. No response was received.
➤ October 2023
On November 13, 2023, Board Trustee Aaron Salt attended a Leadership Institute training for newly elected conservative school board members. The event was covered by the Colorado Times Recorder and raised further questions about ideological alignment on the PPLD Board.
➤ November 13, 2023
🔗 Colorado Times Recorder – Leadership Institute
By late November, the Rockrimmon property owner had formally alerted PPLD that the original five-year lease was nearing expiration, warning of potential default. No response or renewal action was recorded from the district.
➤ December 2023
In December 2023, Lance James, Executive Officer of the PPLD Foundation, resigned.
➤ August 2023
PPLD’s mill levy rate dropped substantially from 3.512 in 2023 to 3.047 in 2024, as documented in the February 2024 Board packet (page 40). This marked a significant reduction in district revenue streams.
➤ December 2023 / January 1, 2024
On January 1, 2024, the PPLD mill levy rate dropped significantly to 3.047, down from 3.512 the previous year. The impact was highlighted in the February 21, 2024 Board of Trustees packet (page 40), sparking concern about future funding levels.
➤ January 1, 2024
🔗 Feb 21, 2024 BoT Packet – p.40
On January 9, 2024, Angela Dougan — a commercial project manager, former city council member, and state director for Americans for Prosperity — was appointed to the PPLD Board of Trustees. Her appointment solidified a conservative majority on the board.
➤ January 9, 2024
By January 31, 2024, PPLD had not acted to renew the Rockrimmon Library’s 5-year lease, putting the facility into default status. The lease was originally set to expire at the end of 2024.
➤ January 31, 2024
In February 2024, the HB&A consultants held public surveys and community meetings as part of the Facilities Master Plan outreach. No mention of potential branch closures was made during these sessions.
➤ February 2024
On February 27, 2024, PPLD announced expanded hours at several of its branch locations, further emphasizing ongoing district-wide changes.
➤ February 27, 2024
In March 2024, HB&A met with community leaders and key stakeholders as part of the ongoing Master Plan engagement process. No mention of potential library closures was included in these meetings.
➤ March 2024
On April 12, 2024, HB&A submitted a preliminary draft of the Facilities Master Plan to the PPLD Board of Trustees for review.
➤ April 12, 2024
On April 22, 2024, PPLD hired Timothy Allen Sr. as Senior HR Director. His appointment drew attention due to his past social media activity and connections to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), prompting discussion among staff and community members.
➤ April 22, 2024
In May 2024, Steve Abbott, the Rockrimmon Library manager, was dismissed under what were viewed by some as spurious or unjustified circumstances.
➤ May 2024
🔗 News coverage of termination
🔗 May correspondence from Randy, Teona, Joy and Ismet (PDF)
On June 19, 2024, a draft version of the Facilities Master Plan was submitted to PPLD staff. In this draft:
Scenario 1 proposed closing Rockrimmon Library
Scenarios 2 and 3 proposed relocating it to a district-owned facility
Consultants advised that closure decisions should not be made until full financial modeling and public engagement were completed.
➤ June 19, 2024
🔗 BoT Meeting Video – Consultant Presentation
🔗 Article stating PPLD responds to FMP draft with no plans for closing libraries
By July 5, 2024 — 180 days before the lease end — the window to renew the Rockrimmon lease closed without action by PPLD. This allowed the lease to move toward expiration by default.
➤ July 5, 2024
On July 5, 2024, local press reported that Rockrimmon Library was listed for potential closure under Scenario 1 of the preliminary Facilities Master Plan. PPLD representatives emphasized that the plan was still in draft form, and a committee would spend several months analyzing the data before any final decisions would be made. The closure was presented as a worst-case scenario, not a confirmed outcome.
➤ July 5, 2024
🔗 Gazette article
In the third week of July 2024, Shannon Miller, Adult Literacy Coordinator at Rockrimmon, resigned, saying she “wanted to leave under [her] own power.”
➤ July 2024
Need affidavit
On September 27, 2024, the PPLD Board of Trustees held a retreat where the Facilities Master Plan was presented. The meeting was closed to the public, and the agenda was not posted until months later (per City Council records).
➤ September 27, 2024
🔗 View City Council Meeting, ~28-minute mark (External link)
On September 28, 2024, PPLD hosted a district-wide job fair. The Rockrimmon branch, despite having five staff openings, was not included in the fair after a direct request to participate.
➤ September 28, 2024
🔗 Job Fair Announcement (ask Laura for affidavit)
On October 3, 2024, the final Facilities Master Plan was published on the PPLD website. Scenario 1 explicitly listed closure of the Rockrimmon Library if no new funding sources were pursued.
➤ October 3, 2024
🔗 Facilities Master Plan (PPLD)
On October 8, 2024, Commissioner Carrie Geitner was appointed Chair of the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners.
➤ October 8, 2024
On October 8, 2024, the PPLD Board’s Internal Affairs Committee convened to review the final Facilities Master Plan. During the public session, Trustee Aaron Salt stated that the district would be “tone deaf” to proceed with closing Rockrimmon without deeper community feedback.
➤ October 8, 2024
🔗 Gazette article
On October 16, 2024, the Board of Trustees voted not to renew the Rockrimmon lease. The vote was 5 to 2; Scott Taylor and Debbie English did not agree to renew the license. Over 40 public comments were made in support of the library, but each trustee read a prewritten statement, suggesting the outcome had been decided in advance.
➤ October 16, 2024
🔗 KOAA Coverage
🔗 Gazetter article
On October 17, 2024, Trustee Aaron Salt was accepted into the Leadership Program of the Rockies for its 2025 class—a multi-session program focused on conservative leadership development across the Rocky Mountain region. (Commissioner Cami Bremer previously attended this program.)
➤ October 17, 2024
🔗 Colorado Times Recorder coverage
On October 19, 2024, concerned community members met to discuss Rockrimmon’s future. Organized by Judy Darcy, the meeting included Councilmember Dave Donelson and several residents.
➤ October 19, 2024
On October 25, 2024, Karla Powers met in person with Councilmember Dave Donelson to discuss advocacy strategy.
➤ October 25, 2024
On October 26, 2024, over 100 residents attended the first meeting of Save Rockrimmon Library at the branch itself. The group began gathering pledges, launched weekly Saturday meetings, and organized a community-wide email campaign - BOT, City Council, and County Commissioners.
➤ October 26, 2024
On October 27, 2024, the Save Rockrimmon Library (SRL) website went live, initiating a coordinated outreach effort across media, government, and public forums.
➤ October 27, 2024
On November 7, 2024, City Councilmember Nancy Henjum spoke with community advocate Karla Powers, initiating conversations about options to delay or reverse the closure.
➤November 7, 2024
On September 28, 2024, PPLD hosted a district-wide job fair. The Rockrimmon branch, despite having five staff openings, was not included in the fair after a direct request to participate.
➤ November 12, 2024
🔗 Gazette coverage (External link)
On November 13, 2024, five City Council members signed a letter asking the PPLD Board to reconsider and approve a 1-year lease extension for Rockrimmon Library.
➤ November 13, 2024
🔗Gazette coverage
🔗CS Independent coverage
On November 19, 2024, SRL representatives addressed the PPLD Board of Trustees, urging support for the same $200K funding to preserve Rockrimmon. The event is documented in the official board packet for the November 20, 2024 meeting, which includes prior meeting materials .
➤ November 19, 2024
🔗 View KKTV coverage
🔗 View FoxNews coverage
On November 20, 2024, Save Rockrimmon Library (SRL) advocates presented at a meeting of the El Paso County Board of Commissioners, requesting $200,000 in emergency funding to keep the existing Rockrimmon Library open throughout 2025.
➤ November 20, 2024
🔗 BoCC response to RL closure
On November 25, 2024, Trustee Aaron Salt appeared at a City Council work session to explain the board’s decision not to renew the Rockrimmon lease. According to attendees, no clear justification for the closure was given.
➤ November 25, 2024
🔗 Video of CC Work session
🔗 Gazette article
Despite prior discussion, the resolution requesting a lease extension was not added to the City Council meeting agenda on November 26, 2024.
➤ November 26, 2024
🔗 Link to Nov 26 CC agenda
On November 31, 2024, the Rockrimmon Library officially closed its doors.
➤ November 31, 2024
🔗 Gazette coverage
🔗 Gazette coverage
On December 4, 2024, the PPLD Board voted again (5–2) to not renew the lease on Rockrimmon Library. Trustees Dora Gonzales, Aaron Salt, Erin Bents, Julie Smyth, and Angela Dougan affirmed the earlier decision.
Around the same time:
COS Reads, a nonprofit created by Save Rockrimmon Library members, launched to develop a temporary community library and began collecting donations—over $91,000 in pledges to support its formation.
➤ December 4, 2024
🔗 Gazette coverage
🔗 CPR coverage
🔗 KRDO coverage
On December 6, 2024, a lawsuit was filed challenging the PPLD Board’s decision not to renew the lease for Rockrimmon Library. The legal action aimed to delay or reverse the closure, citing community support and transparency concerns.
➤ December 6, 2024
🔗 Read coverage of the lawsuit
On December 10, 2024, SRL presented again to Colorado Springs City Council, formally requesting $200,000 to preserve the original library space as a community center.
Councilmember Dave Donelson called for the PPLD Board to either:
Revote,
Resign, or
Be removed.
➤ December 10, 2024
🔗 Link to video
🔗 Link to agenda
On December 14, 2024, SRL officially launched its fundraising drive under the new nonprofit, COS Reads, to support a community-run alternative to Rockrimmon Library.
➤ December 14, 2024
🔗 Support COS Reads Initiative
On December 15, 2024, SRL distributed a community-wide survey to gather feedback on desired services, space use, and long-term library alternatives.
➤ December 15, 2024
🔗 View Community Poll Summary
By December 19, 2024, COS Reads had raised $34K in individual donations, demonstrating strong public support.
➤ December 19, 2024
On December 20, 2024, SRL met with the owner of the former Rockrimmon Library building to explore a potential 1-year lease to use the space as a community learning center and hub.
➤ December 20, 2024
By January 2, 2025, community donations toward COS Reads reached $49,000, with more pledges pending. The campaign’s growing support marked a turning point toward long-term planning.
➤ January 2, 2025