The Three Rivers Public Library (TRPL) resumed curbside lending service Monday, beginning public operations at its new location at 88 N. Main St. for the first time. Except for roof replacement and some other, minor items, the renovation of the former bank building at North Main and Pealer Streets is largely complete.
At a regular meeting of the TRPL board Tuesday, Executive Director Bobbi Schoon said other services will resume in October, allowing members of the public access to some services inside the building in a limited fashion. Those services will include photocopy access, which Schoon said will tentatively resume on October 5 by appointment, as well as a fuller range of additional services that are tentatively scheduled to begin on October 19.
Some services will remain impacted by the pandemic. For example, patrons may experience delays in receiving books through the Michigan Interlibrary Loan system because they must be quarantined for a few days after arriving at TRPL for the protection of staff and the public.
With the resumption of curbside service, library staff participated in a ribbon cutting in front of the renovated building Monday along with representatives of the Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce, Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority and Main Street Program, and the Three Rivers Area Community Foundation, as well as members of the city commission and city staff.
In photos of the ribbon cutting event posted on social media, no library board members were present. Watershed Voice spoke to Schoon, who said she forgot to copy board members amid the rush to prepare for opening. The ribbon cutting was planned on short notice. Schoon said amid her other preparations, the idea hadn’t surfaced until she received a suggestion from City Clerk and Three Rivers Area Community Foundation Executive Director Melissa Bliss late last week.
By the time Schoon realized the oversight, she said, it was too late, but she regretted the error. However, Schoon said, a larger opening ceremony involving board members and other stakeholders is in the works.
Computer Systems See Changes
At Tuesday’s meeting Schoon said TRPL’s cataloguing system has changed concurrent with the move. Due to the change, patrons’ existing passwords are no longer valid. “If you use Overdrive or the catalogue, your password is now the last four digits of your phone number,” she said. Information about the change has been posted on TRPL’s Facebook page, and Schoon said staff have been fielding questions about it.
Meanwhile, TRPL board members voted Tuesday to approve a license agreement for the software the library uses to manage appointments for use of its public computers. Schoon said the existing system has become outdated and “not friendly to help us schedule appointments.” The new system will be smoother she said and will work “more like scheduling a hairdresser.” Patrons will be able to go online and schedule their own appointments.
Schoon said the existing system went unused during the pandemic shutdown, and when the existing service provider refused to provide a cost adjustment to reflect that, she began investigating other options. After reaching out to three companies and speaking with other, comparably sized libraries about their experiences, Schoon decided to recommend Librarica’s CASSIE system to board members. She said her recommendation was based on positive reviews from other libraries, the company’s responsiveness, and the system’s cost.
The new service includes an initial setup and licensing fee for 15 computers in the amount of $2,485, to which more machines can be added as service resumes after the pandemic. The cost to add computers is $99 per machine.
Because nearly all of the library building is up to date from newly finished renovations, Schoon said she felt comfortable recommending the board reappropriate funds from the current-year building maintenance budget. Once the system is in place, the fee to maintain the licenses and receive support and software updates is 15 percent of the setup fee, or just under $400.
Township Dispute Tabled
Included in Tuesday’s board member packet was a communication from Park Township. At a previous meeting, Schoon and City Finance Director Cathy Lawson said they calculated that the township had been underpaying its contribution to the library’s operation. Lawson alleged the underpayment was due to incorrect calculation of which township properties must be included under the library’s jurisdiction.
The township communication, signed by Township Supervisor Ed English, said the township does not pay its contribution from a special millage, but rather from its general fund. For its current-year contribution, English said the township paid “the amount owed under the contract at $14,102.71” for the current year, but “as a gesture of goodwill,” it is “willing to round this amount up to $15,000” and continue paying “a straight sum of $15,000 plus 50 percent of the penal fines henceforth.”
Otherwise, English said, “please consider this Park Township’s 6-month notice of contract termination. The township will consider a new contract, with much more detailed calculation indications after that time.”
TRPL board members on Tuesday said they were surprised to receive the letter. Board Chair Julie Keefer said the letter was “out of the blue.” Schoon, Keefer, Lawson, and some board members visited township officials after discussing the issue over the summer and expected to have further conversation on the matter before reaching a resolution.
In response to the letter, board members tabled discussion on the matter and instructed Schoon to seek a legal opinion. Lawson advised that once such an opinion is received, as a legal matter, the board could discuss it further in closed session at a future meeting.
In Other TRPL Business:
- Board members approved an $89 monthly elevator service agreement with McNally Elevator of Grand Rapids. The company offered five different service options ranging from full service at $267 per month to quarterly inspections with oil and grease only for $56 per month. The selected option provides for quarterly inspections, oil and grease, minor adjustments, and all mandatory, code-required testing.
- Also approved was $100-per-month landscaping agreement with Riley Farm of Three Rivers. The company performed the initial landscaping during renovation. It will maintain that landscaping by trimming bushes twice yearly, weeding, performing fall and spring cleanup, and providing three seasonal fertilizer applications to grass areas.
- A recent donation was made with the provision that it be used for “any need in the children’s area,” Schoon said. The children’s area, located on the upper floor of the new building, needs a checkout desk, and no currently available furnishing will fit the available space, new TRPL Children’s Librarian Peter Butts said. Board members approved moving the $1,000 donation to the proper line item and authorize purchase of a desk that also matches other, new furniture.
- In July, board members authorized the purchase of two new light poles for the rear parking area. At that time, $1,334 was authorized for the purchase. However, the materials included in the board packet contained a math error. The correct cost for the poles, now installed, was actually $2,739. On Tuesday, board members approved the $1,405 adjustment to make up the discrepancy.
This story has been updated to reflect follow-up comments that Watershed Voice sought from TRPL Executive Director Bobbi Schoon about Monday’s ribbon cutting ceremony.
Dave Vago is a 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.
(Photos courtesy of Clayton Lyczynski II)
