Brooke Payton set out on a mission three years ago to establish a public library branch in Fresno’s Tower District.
The vibrant, diverse neighborhood hasn’t had one since 1975, and the closest public branches aren’t always easy to access without a car. Payton spent hours collecting signatures, hosting outreach tables at events, talking with her local representatives and helping draft the Tower District Specific Plan to include the possibility of a library.
“Tower District is different,” Payton said. “It’s weird, and it’s wonderful, and I love our community so much, and it just didn’t seem fair that we didn’t have a space of our own to use to build people up, to let people know they’re not alone.”…