County Manager David Cooke presented his spending plan to county commissioners last week and patrons of the Wendell library were holding their collective breaths to see if the local library would survive the budget hatchet.

Fortunately, Cooke’s plan does spare the local facility — although two Raleigh libraries will be closed. The Athens Drive library — a joint effort wih the school system and the county — will no longer be open after school hours.

And the Duraleigh branch will also close.

But for Wendell-area residents, word that Wendell’s branch would remain open classifies as mighty good news. After all, it’s been here a while. The Wendell branch is the oldest county library outside Raleigh.

In his budget proposal, Cooke says the library system will likely operate on reduced hours, although the impact of those reductions are not yet known.

Even with reduced hours, Cooke’s plan is likely to be well-received in these parts because it keeps a vital public institution up and running.

Wendell residents have been vocal in their support of the local library. Petitions were posted and dozens of people signed their John Hancocks on the line asking commissioners to keep the little library open.

Cooke showed us that he was listening.

The library’s future is not guaranteed at this point. The public budget process has just started. County commissioners will hold a pair of public hearings to listen to residents’ feelings regarding the budget.

They must then vote on the plan before the library’s continued operation is assured.

Even then, however, there is no promise that future cuts might not imperil the local library.

We trust that, for now, commissioners will share Cooke’s desire to keep the library open and will approve that move as they deliberate and vote on a final budget.

Readers of all ages and job-seekers who parade to the library’s computers in a steady stream will be glad to learn the county commissioners appreciate the importance of a small town’s library.

Johnny Whitfield, managing editor