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By Greg Hunt
greg.hunt@ecm-inc.com
Looking into the path needed to follow for locating a public library in Braham, a community meeting was hosted prior to the City Council meeting on Monday, Oct. 12.
Among those in attendance were East Central Regional Library Director Barbara Misselt and Isanti County Commissioner Larry Southerland. Misselt began by outlining the typical way a library gets started in communities:
• Performing a com-munity needs analysis through survey to deter-mine the level of interest;
• Assembling a committee of volunteers, such as a Friends of the Library group, responsible for raising interest and donated funds;
• Communicate with the county board and ECRL board to determine the budget reality and timeline of placing library service in town.
Options to study
Misselt informed the mixed-age crowd of options she has seen communities take in regard to libraries.
“There are towns that get by with that,” said Misselt.
Reilly added there is an impetus to get a summer reading program started in Braham, such as the one at the ECRL.
The next step up would be a “Link Site,” a small setting officially connected to the ECRL system through a computer, open one day a week, and holding some books and resources. The city of Isanti has a link site in the works, which should be opening later this year, housed in a donated room at City Hall.
“A link site needs a library staff person and volunteers to operate,” explained Misselt. “Onamia has an ECRL link site located in its community center, and it receives heavy usage (open on Saturdays).”
The last option is a full library which needs to be open a minimum of 20 hours/week to satisfy funding requirements (ECRL’s libraries are all open 30 hours/week). Misselt estimated a new library needs roughly 5,000-7,000 square feet, ADA-approved entries and restrooms, along with taking two-to-five years for planning and collecting the necessary resources.
Misselt was straight-forward with the attendees: the present ECRL budget is barely enough to handle the 14 branches already in the system. Determining how many people in a given town can’t get to a neighboring library branch would also weigh on the decision to expand (ECRL branches surround Braham in Mora, Pine City, Rush City and Cambridge).
Southerland said con-sidering the amount of support Isanti and Chisago counties give to the library system, the board would be hard-pressed to say ‘No’ to a possible branch in Braham which sits at the corners of four counties in the ECRL system.
The public meeting closed with a volunteer sign-up for a library committee, with the following Braham residents offering to serve: Deborah Hanson, Dorothy Johnson, Bob Knudson, Jared Landon and Jessica Patterson.
Squad car replacement program approved
During the regular session of the council meeting, a four-year rotation plan to replace police squad cars was approved. Three present squads have high miles on them, and the price and mileage on used replacement units have risen steeply the past few years.
The council agreed to use Unallotment Levy funds and local financing to begin the four-year rotation plan next year, purchasing two 2010 Crown Vic squads from Elk River Ford. After modifications and warranty, each vehicle will cost $25,000.
In other action, the council:
• Approved the conditional use permit for Friendship Assembly of God Church to lease 112 S. Main for church services and office space.
• Approved a handicap parking site on the eastern-most section of West Central Drive, per the request of Johnna Santillo who is opening a Kit N Kabootle store on that street.
• Authorized BDM Consulting Engineers to proceed with plans and specifications for the wastewater treatment facility upgrading, along with handling the bid process for the project.
Next regular council meeting: Monday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m. The base level is what she called a “Reading Room,” which is not officially a library since it would not be staffed. That is an assigned space where donated books are kept, with perhaps a lounge area for book clubs and the like.
Connie Reilly, speaking for the Horizons community enhancement group in Braham, said that group has discussed establishing a public computer lab in town. Adding donated books to such a lab was also discussed.
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