Recycled Reads not going away

Supporters of Recycled Reads, the quirky used bookstore at 5335 Burnet Road that offers mahjong and knitting and serves as a gathering place for the community, will be happy to hear that city staff has withdrawn an item to sublease most of the space to Austin Creative Reuse. Staff has postponed the item twice, including last week, after getting pushback from members of Council as well as the community. Library department spokeswoman Rachel Nguyen said one reason the item was not moving forward was because the Yarborough Branch Library on Hancock Drive, which is close to Recycled Reads, would be closing for renovations on March 1 for about 11 months. Nguyen also acknowledged that there was negative feedback from the community about the plan to eliminate Recycled Reads in 2022. That negative feedback is most likely at the top of the list of City Manager Spencer Cronk’s concerns. Council Member Leslie Pool told the Austin Monitor on Monday, “I appreciate the recognition of the important role that Recycled Reads plays in our community. People from all parts of town meet up there regularly. It’s a real community gathering place. I’m glad that we will continue the lease.” Pool said Cronk told her Friday afternoon that he would be pulling the item from the March 7 agenda and that it would not be coming back.