Hialeah approves $8 million JFK Memorial Library renovation despite residents' pushback

The Hialeah City Council unanimously approved a $514 million budget for fiscal year 2027 Tuesday night, including $8 million to transform the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library into a combined history museum and library, a proposal that has raised concerns among residents and employees about potential layoffs and changes to the facility.

Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo told CBS News Miami that the project remains in its early stages and that experts will help determine the timeline and options for the proposed transformation.

"This is right now a conceptual, it's an idea," Calvo said.

According to the mayor, the planning process could take approximately six months, during which residents will have opportunities to provide feedback.

Questions surround library jobs and potential layoffs

 One of the biggest concerns surrounding the project is its potential impact on library employees.

When CBS News Miami asked Calvo whether the library would close and employees would lose their jobs, he said the intention is to keep the facility operating throughout the process.

"The idea is for that library to remain open through this whole process," Calvo said.

However, he acknowledged that could change once construction begins.

The mayor also addressed concerns about staffing, saying that 18 of the library's 37 positions were eliminated but that affected employees would have opportunities to move into other city departments.

"These are positions that are not being eliminated in the case of the library, to be clear. We have other positions in the city that are vacant, a lot of those employees are going to move over to those positions," Calvo said.

However, the mayor's chief of staff confirmed to our news partners at the Miami Herald that 18 part-time workers are being laid off.

A reliable source also told CBS News Miami that fear is spreading among remaining library employees as questions persist about the facility's future.  They were also told not to talk to media. 

Residents question changes to library's existing layout 

For Hialeah resident Marangery Otero, the proposed transformation brings mixed feelings.

Otero said she learned Tuesday night that the city wants to incorporate a museum and cafeteria into the existing library.

"I feel 50/50 because, like they say, if it's not broken don't try to fix it," she said.

Her biggest concern is preserving the library's existing layout and the spaces residents currently use.

Calvo said the children's reading area on the first floor would remain intact. However, other sections of the library could undergo significant changes.

"In the center of the library you have rows of bookshelves, it's space that's underutilized," the mayor said.

Under the proposed concept, books currently located in the central area of the first floor would be relocated to the second floor, allowing the city to create space for museum exhibits.

"So in the center we can have the actual exhibits, the ability to have people walk," Calvo explained.

The mayor said the goal is to maximize the use of the existing building while incorporating exhibits highlighting Hialeah's history.

While city officials are moving forward with the project, some residents believe a decision of this magnitude should be placed directly in the hands of voters.

Hialeah resident Phil Secada said the city should consider holding a referendum before proceeding with the transformation.

"Let the voters decide, have the proposition, present it to the voters and let them approve. That way everybody gets involved with the decision-making process; it's the American way," Secada said.

Calvo disagreed, arguing that the proposed renovation does not require a public vote because the building's existing use would not fundamentally change.

"There is no reason that this should be on a ballot because we're not changing the use of the building, all we're doing is renovating it," he said.

City promises six months of community input 

Although the City Council has already approved the funding, the mayor said residents will have opportunities to influence how the project takes shape.

Calvo said the city plans to hold monthly town hall meetings over the next six months to gather community input, including from residents who oppose the proposal.

For now, the project remains conceptual, with questions about the final design, construction timeline, library operations and employee assignments still to be resolved.

The $8 million allocation moves the proposed museum-library transformation forward, but the coming months will determine how the city addresses the concerns of residents and workers who fear the changes could come at the expense of a public institution they have long relied on.