Millersburg library in the works

by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor

Efforts to establish a new satellite library at the former Millersburg Elementary School are moving forward.

The Presque Isle District Library (PIDL) board conducted its first meeting of the new year as guests of Case Township in the building.

The entire board was in attendance Wednesday afternoon, after storms early last month cancelled the meeting in the village.

Case Township officials, who are now in control of the facility, want to continue making the building, a learning institution for more than 100 years, a centerpiece of the community.

Alpena Community College will begin conducting classes beginning next week at the facility and the gymnasium is used nearly every night of the week. Last month, a community Christmas was conducted in the gym.

The township offices also may relocate to the facility sometime in the future, but for now officials have their sights set on establishing a library in a location in the building that was once used as the elementary school library.

Much of the infrastructure is already in place with some shelving left behind by the school district.

?There is a great deal of enthusiasm and desire for a library here in this facility,? said Dean Storms, township supervisor, who invited board members to tour the facility after their meeting. ?I?ve had two ladies volunteer their time.??I think we can get a friends group started really fast,? said clerk Terry Colonna.

START-UP costs, such as a need for a handicap restroom and a drop box, as well as narrowing down of the utility costs, appear to be the major obstacles that would prevent the board from giving their approval. The room in question has its own heating control, although there isn?t a separate meter. ?We need a handicap bathroom one way or an

other, if you?re here or if you?re not here,? said Storms.

?Believe it or not, the biggest start-up costs, if we were to come here, is a drop box,? said Beach Hall, library board chairman. ?The darn things are expensive.?

The New Grand Lake Library?s drop box cost $6,000. Director Jan Stevenson said, ?not being open so much, ideally, you should have a dual audio/video drop box and those are $6,000.? Discussion ensued about the best location for the drop box.

Initial hours could be two days (six to eight hours) a week. There were several questions exchanged, but no objections expressed.

The board and its administrators want to proceed cautiously, especially with funding cuts from the state taking a chunk out of their budget. ?I think, give us a few months and see what we come up with,? said Hall.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.