FRL Amendments Approved By Commissioners
- JCPL Allies
- Dec 18, 2025
- 3 min read
At the Dec. 16, 2025 meeting, the Jackson County Commissioners voted to approve the amendments to the Fontana Regional Library agreement that had been presented at an earlier meeting. Todd Bryson was absent from the meeting, but all of the other Commissioners voted yes. Swain County has also voted yes. Macon County and the FRL board must still vote. This vote does not mean that Jackson County will stay in the FRL, but staying may be more palatable to some with a new agreement. We will keep you posted.
At the same meeting, a person making public comment asked Jenny Lynn Hooper if she is, in fact, distributing the JEXIT flyers. She admitted that she is, and said there are other people involved as well. She said there are hundreds of inappropriate books in the library and she agreed to provide a list of those books to the speaker. We obtained a copy of the list yesterday afternoon. This will help us monitor book placement in the library and keep track of any suspicious book disappearances.
The Commissioners have threatened to not renew the Jackson County Public Library's lease on the meeting rooms in the courthouse in Sylva. The library would lose community meeting spaces used to host events and educational programs, kitchen facilities, and multiple restrooms. Our community would be left with no public meeting spaces. In 2007, people came together to fund the renovation of the Jackson County Courthouse and transform it into the library complex that we know today. It was renovated as a complex, to be used by the library for the good of the community. The new library was opened in 2011. At the next Commissioner's meeting (1/6/2026), a group of people involved in the planning and renovation process will be presenting the history of the Complex to the Commissioners and explaining why it would be a betrayal of donor and public trust to sever ties between the library and the courthouse. We hope you will join us to show continued support for having a robust library system that serves our whole community. You can also contact our Commissioners to encourage them to renew the lease.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Jackson County Commissioners Meeting: Tuesday January 6, 2026 at 6:30pm; 401 Grindstaff Cove Rd Room A201 in Sylva. There will be a presentation about the history of the Jackson County Public Library Complex. Please attend wearing yellow.
We hope you all have a peaceful holiday season.
The JCPL Allies
Contact Information
Commissioners:
Fontana Regional Library Board of Trustees: frl-trustees@fontanalib.org
Jackson County Library Board: tfitzmaurice@fontanalib.org
Newspapers:
The Highlander: Letters must include a daytime phone number and address (these will not be published, they are for verification purposes) Letters must be signed and no longer than 500 words. Writers limited to one letter every 30 days. Submit by email : editor@highlandsnews.com
Smoky Mountain Times (Bryson City): Submit by email to editor@thesmokymountaintimes.com Include a daytime phone number, name, and the community you live in (ph # will not be published; for verification purposes) Letters must be signed and no longer than 500 words. One letter every 30 days.
The Cherokee One Feather: Letters should not be longer than 250 words; must include name, address, email, and phone #. Submit to: cherokeeonefeather1966@gmail.com or robejump@ebci-nsn.gov Deadline Friday at 12:00.
The Sylva Herald: 250 words; provide address and phone number. Web form for submission is out of order for some time. Use email for submission: news@thesylvaherald.com Deadline Monday at 12:00
Smoky Mountain News: Submit to: news@smokymountainnews.com
Asheville Citizen Times: 250 words. Online submission form (look for « contact us »)
