Three Rivers Public Library (TRPL) Executive Director Bobbi Schoon informed library board members Tuesday evening that the library is currently advertising three open positions. The announcement follows the resignations of TRPL Children’s Librarian Laura Bultman and Service Specialist Micah Stemaly earlier this month. Both stepped down due to personal concerns, and both positions are now open along with a second Service Specialist position that has been open since March.
Details for the positions are available on the TRPL Facebook page, as well as the City of Three Rivers website. They are open for two weeks. Schoon said there is only one posting for the two Service Specialist positions. City of Three Rivers Finance Director Cathy Lawson said there are already four qualified applicants with Master of Library Science degrees for the Children’s Librarian position.
Work Continues at New Location
Board members approved three items pertaining to work on the new library building at North Main and Pealer Streets. One was a previously discussed change order for the electronic sign that is being installed in front of the building and the lettering on the building itself. A previously quoted price would have covered a sign that did not meet all of the board’s requirements. The change order covers $6,425 for the electronic sign and lettering, for a total purchase price of $28,190. The funding for this is already budgeted.
Another item approved Tuesday was a new sump pump in the basement of the new building. Project contractors from Brussee-Brady performed a courtesy inspection of several existing pieces of building equipment and discovered the pump, which is in the heating and air conditioning room, is full of mud. Although the problem is not necessarily an immediate issue, Schoon said if anything went wrong with the fire suppression system, it would drain there and flood the basement.
Brussee-Brady quoted a price of $1,029 for the pump’s replacement. Board Vice President Mike Fleckenstein said sump pump replacement is normal for a 40-year-old building and considered the cost to be acceptably low. The pump is not part of the current scope of work for building renovations, but Fleckenstein said he felt it is a normal maintenance cost. The board approved Brussee-Brady’s quote for the replacement pump.
The final item was a cancellation of a previously planned set of sensor gates at the library entrances, similar to the anti-theft sensors at many retail stores. In previous meetings, staff reported the cost of the gates would exceed the value of the measured cost of book losses over a 10-year period. Board members agreed that the expense was thus unjustified and voted to re-appropriate the $19,085.50 the gates would have cost toward signage, door counters, and other project-related work.
Schoon said she visited the new building earlier in the day on Tuesday, and updated board members on construction work. “We’re getting really close,” she said. “We just have those last few things.” According to Schoon, the interior paint colors “look good,” shelving is installed, and a delivery of bathroom supplies arrived during her visit. “Seeing those shelves going up today, I was like, ‘okay, now we really are a library.’”
Bids for previously approved work to spruce up landscaping outside the building and the parking lot are still coming in. Schoon said she hopes to shut down the old library by roughly August 15, move during the following week, setup the new space in the first week of September, and conduct an opening on September 8. That schedule will be confirmed as the date draws closer, and Schoon said she plans to notify the public so patrons can place last-minute book orders prior to the closure.
Because pandemic restrictions and precautions remain in place, community fundraising initiatives are still paused, but Fleckenstein requested that library staff update its wants and needs list for current future phases of library construction work. “We can at least get our house in order,” he said.
Summer Programs Prove Popular
Summer program response has been better than expected, and better than at other nearby libraries, Schoon said. “We checked out 609 books in only a couple of weeks” with curbside service, she said, and staff have been busy “reading titles and backs of books” to patrons making decisions about books, serving as “their eyes and ears” since they cannot enter the library.
Summer reading programs and take-home projects have accounted for some of those numbers. One staff member had more than 100 program signups, while another had more than 80. Schoon said “word of mouth was helpful” in promoting the programs. Reading and project groups take place on a weekly basis on Zoom, and Schoon said take-home project participants have emailed pictures of their completed work. Library hours have been extended to meet additional demand.
Township Contribution Under Discussion
Schoon told library board members she was in conversation with Park Township board members earlier this year about its contribution of funds toward TRPL operations. The townships bordering Three Rivers each contributes funds to the library by contract. In those contracts, the contribution amount is set according to the number of residences in each township that have a post office recognized Three Rivers mailing address. In return, those residents can have library memberships.
However, Park Township has been paying according to the number of houses in the Three Rivers school district, rather than by the mailing address standard, which is different. Lawson said the payments have been erroneous since the arrangement began in 2005. Schoon said checks had apparently come in without anyone noticing they were wrong until she and Lawson double checked the arrangement.
Following the correct geography, the township would have to pay about 50 percent more to be in compliance with the contract. Schoon, Lawson, and Park officials began discussing the matter in January, but stopped in March when pandemic concerns diverted their attention. Schoon said she wanted to raise the issue with the board Tuesday in order to resolve the discrepancy after talking it over again with Lawson.
Schoon said when last discussed, Park officials wanted to renegotiate the contract. However, she said, the state library attorney told her a different arrangement could jeopardize the library’s state aid and incur penal fees. She also said she wanted to be fair to other townships that are paying in full, and said a contract paid according to school district geography would mean cancelling library service for 150 Park Township residents who are currently in the Mendon school district.
The current contract, which was renegotiated in January, is not up for official renegotiation, so the library board would have to renegotiate at its discretion. Fleckenstein said he was sure the 50 percent increase would be a “significant amount” for the township, but “other townships find a way to pay it,” and “in fairness, we have to enforce it.”
Schoon said she would request that the township board add an agenda item to its next meeting, providing an opportunity to have a conversation about the issue with library board members. “Hopefully we can find some middle ground, or work out a plan to bring them into full compliance,” Fleckenstein said.
Board Members Express Thanks
Library Board President Julie Keefer thanked the “entire staff for all they’re doing in this modified work situation and the heat,” in recognition of recent pandemic conditions and the fact that staff are providing curbside service in summer weather. She also expressed “thanks to Brussee-Brady for all they are doing,” including their help with the sump pumps.
Fleckenstein expressed his regret at Bultman’s departure, saying, “that’s going to leave a hole.” Other board members agreed with Fleckenstein.
To Schoon, Keefer said, “you just continue to blow my mind with your passion and effort on top of all the schooling you’re doing,” saying the library is blessed to have Schoon and the other staff working there.
Dave Vago is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.
