Prineville, Ore. — Crook County’s public library may soon restrict use of its meeting rooms to normal operating hours after staff raised concerns about after-hours security problems, building access issues, and facility misuse.
The discussion took place during the Crook County Board of Commissioners’ Feb. 11 work session, where Lead Library Tech Kim Bales outlined a series of recurring problems associated with late-night and weekend reservations.
“For several months now, the meeting rooms have kind of gotten out of control,” Bales told commissioners. “We’re finding that people are drinking alcohol after hours. They’re leaving the building unlocked. We even had someone stay overnight.”
According to library staff, the current system allows groups to reserve meeting rooms outside of public hours using physical keys, which has created ongoing security concerns. Bales said some users fail to return keys, increasing the risk of unauthorized building access.
“Sometimes they don’t return the keys, and then that’s a security issue, because the keys get into the main building,” she said.
Staff also described situations where individuals entered the library after hours while cleaning crews were present, mistakenly believing the facility was open.
To address those issues, library staff are proposing that meeting rooms be available only during library operating hours. The proposed schedule discussed at the work session would limit room use to:
- Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Saturday: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Sunday: No meeting room use
The proposal includes a buffer before closing time to allow staff to clear rooms and secure the building.
Commissioners voiced support for the concept during the discussion, citing building maintenance, liability considerations, and the library’s operational priorities.
“Our core services aren’t to provide a party,” Commissioner Susan Hermreck said. “I have no problem with the women that are coming in there and quilting or any of that, but it is getting out of hand.”
Commissioners Brian Barney and Seth Crawford also noted their concerns and support for potential changes.
“I agree too, it’s not a function of the Library,” said Barney, speaking to the library’s core services and providing the public free after-hours meeting rooms.
“Well, where’s the liability? What if somebody has a major fight in there?” said Crawford.
The work session conversation focused primarily on security, facility wear-and-tear, and after-hours conduct. Library staff did not specifically address how the proposed changes might affect governmental users of the meeting rooms.
However, the library’s meeting spaces are regularly used by a variety of other local governments, including various special districts that rely on the rooms for public meetings at no cost. While some public bodies meet during daytime hours, others traditionally hold evening meetings to accommodate working board members and public attendance.
Library staff also confirmed that commercial uses — generally defined as events involving the exchange of money — would continue to be permitted during open hours under an updated fee structure. The commercial rate was recently increased from $20 per hour to $40 per hour.
Commissioners also asked where the proposal stood with the Crook County Library Board of Trustees, which holds policy authority over library operations. Bales indicated that trustees had not yet reviewed the specific hours restriction proposal.
“We haven’t discussed this,” Bales said. “We discussed charging for the rooms back in November, because we haven’t had a meeting since November. And they had a lot of opinions about that. So we haven’t discussed this new [proposal].”
The comments suggest trustees may be encountering the changes for the first time at their upcoming meeting. Commissioners acknowledged the potential for differing views, with Commissioner Susan Hermreck noting that prior discussions involving meeting room policies had generated substantial feedback.
“I have a feeling you might get a little bit of backlash on that,” Hermreck said during the work session.
No formal decision was made at the Feb. 11th work session. Bales told commissioners that a draft policy is being prepared for later review as discussions progress by the Commissioners and the Library’s Board of Trustees.
The proposed changes are scheduled for discussion at the Crook County Library Board of Trustees meeting tonight (Feb. 12th) at 5:15 p.m. at the library.
Mr. Alderman is an investigative journalist specializing in government transparency, non-profit accountability, consumer protection, and is a subject matter expert on Oregon’s public records and meetings laws. As a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer, he brings a disciplined investigative approach to his reporting that has frequently exposed ethics violations, financial mismanagement, and transparency failures by public officials and agencies.
