Whole lot of nothin' going on
Jeremy Molenda hit the nail on the head during the Monroe council meeting Monday. He said he was disappointed that the library services team didn't come up with something a little more meaty in the way of recommending expansions of the city libraries.
He also was right on the money about the value of a library to a city.
What he might not know is that there was a lot of posturing and infighting going on to make sure the library "team" didn't come up with a really stupid recommendation -- like converting the United Furniture building into an expanded Dorsch library. In fact, one of the main reasons the "team" was formed was to make sure that idea was dead on arrival.
Maybe forgetting about using the furniture building as a library is a smart idea. Maybe not. The problem that remains is what to do with the building. The Port of Monroe bought the thing and owns it, I think. Maybe they should figure out what to do with it.
Councilman Beneteau often makes sense, but some of his comments about the library showed that he's not too familiar with the kind of draw a library can be. Dorsch brings in lots of people who aren't city residents because it happens to be the closest library to their house. I know because I've talked with many of them. He has to view the library as something that draws people to the city, not something that's nothing but a burden. Putting library services on the third floor of city hall is a goofy idea. Some people couldn't even find the Social Security office when it was there.
Maybe the city should knock down the furniture building for now, and build a smaller annex to Dorsch at a future date. You wouldn't have to pay a lot of dough to a consultant. Just poll library users and staff to see what the needs really are and ask
Jim Jacobs to ballpark a new building to meet the needs.
At this point it doesn't look like the city can afford ANYTHING and taxpayers sure as heck aren't going to support a millage to expand the library.
'
He also was right on the money about the value of a library to a city.
What he might not know is that there was a lot of posturing and infighting going on to make sure the library "team" didn't come up with a really stupid recommendation -- like converting the United Furniture building into an expanded Dorsch library. In fact, one of the main reasons the "team" was formed was to make sure that idea was dead on arrival.
Maybe forgetting about using the furniture building as a library is a smart idea. Maybe not. The problem that remains is what to do with the building. The Port of Monroe bought the thing and owns it, I think. Maybe they should figure out what to do with it.
Councilman Beneteau often makes sense, but some of his comments about the library showed that he's not too familiar with the kind of draw a library can be. Dorsch brings in lots of people who aren't city residents because it happens to be the closest library to their house. I know because I've talked with many of them. He has to view the library as something that draws people to the city, not something that's nothing but a burden. Putting library services on the third floor of city hall is a goofy idea. Some people couldn't even find the Social Security office when it was there.
Maybe the city should knock down the furniture building for now, and build a smaller annex to Dorsch at a future date. You wouldn't have to pay a lot of dough to a consultant. Just poll library users and staff to see what the needs really are and ask
Jim Jacobs to ballpark a new building to meet the needs.
At this point it doesn't look like the city can afford ANYTHING and taxpayers sure as heck aren't going to support a millage to expand the library.
'
posted by The Observer at 3/18/2008 07:10:00 AM
5 Comments:
Just to clarify my "goofy" idea about the third floor of City Hall. Your last comment may well be correct in that the City cannot afford anything, and taxpayers may not pass a millage, so my point was why not use a vacant space that we already own to give the Library users what they desire, and by their surveys conducted by the library themselves, this was more computers, more quiet space, and training space. Whether it be temporary or long term, having the employees of Dorsch able to point half a block to the East, it should not be that hard to find City Hall. And yes, I do understand the need for a library and yes, I do agree with the draw to downtown. This would keep them downtown would it not? I do not view it as a burden, however I do not intend on making it a burden either. Use what we have as a low cost fix until either a millage is passed, or somehow the economy turns and we are growing economically to build. If you tuned in to the meeting, my comment was to look at building a new building rather than spend the same money on an older smaller one.
Observer,
Why should the city residents continue to subsidize the Township residents by building things like Libraries? Frenchtown has a few very small libraries. Monroe Town has none.
Are we underserved? I don't think so. I go to the Ellis branch that has everything that I need or want in a Library. Generally if they don’t have it or can’t get it I need to go to a University library to get what I need. I believe the Lake Erie Transit will take anyone to Ellis that doesn't have a car and wants to go there.
I would like to see the Townships step up to the plate and build a new library. What good is having a Library as a draw to downtown? Is it going to bring in new tax revenues? Nope. Is it going to bring new shoppers downtown? I doubt it. Is it going to be another building for the taxpayers in the city to maintain? Yes. Will the surrounding communities help? As usual, nope.
Why is putting a Library in City Hall stupid? If we have unutilized square footage in a building we already have to maintain it is a perfectly logical thing. Maybe you need to put it on the first floor and move some of the departments to the third floor due to the weight of the stacks (books). Another possibility is to use the Monroe Multi Sports Complex. Didn’t Canlan move their offices? How much square footage is up on the mezzanine? Either alternative would certainly be cheaper than building a new building that then needs ongoing maintenance.
I would contend that anyone who is too stupid to find the third floor of city hall is probably a moron who can’t read anyway. It is pretty simple to enter city hall, find the elevator or stairwell, and climb to the third floor.
The United Furniture building was a stupid idea from the start. Don’t believe me? Take a tour of it. Just like Dorsch it can’t take the weight of the books. It would take more to renovate that building than to make a new and modern one. That was idiot Iaco thinking at its finest. The city should sell it to Beneteau or Waldecker so they can fix it up before it falls down.
I also personally think that Libraries are a pre 19th century idea, but we are in the 21st century. With computers you don’t need stacks of books. You just need access to the material that is already in electronic form on the internet. Why not make the City of Monroe a WiFi hotspot, and each resident gets a login to access it? For those who don’t have computers Navarre and Dorsch are certainly more than capable of holding the weight of several computer work stations. Let’s move forward, not dwell in the past.
JAFO #1
To the councilman:
I'm not sure using the third floor would come even close to solving the "needs," which will become evident when something collapses in Dorsch. But let's say it would. A mob would probably hang a city council that sprung for a new library (a mob made up of present and recent city employees). But maybe a study would say nothing needs done but shoring up the load-bearing beams. Still, the question would remain - what's to be done with the furniture building.
And to JAFO #1: I may be wrong, but I think Ellis IS in Monroe Township . Also, maybe over a long time the Internet will replace a library, but when you talk about local documents -- histories and original genealogical stuff - you just can't find that on the Internet. I do like the idea of making Monroe a wireless hotspot though.
I like the councilman's idea. Imagine turning the entire third floor into a high tech library with classrooms available to MCCC, Spring Arbor, EMU. Imagine, converting this space into a high tech hub within the City that could become the catalyst to make the entire City WIFI. Imagine, turning the second floor of the Dorsch into a children's storytelling area that is used for special occasions and presentations to classrooms. Imagine using the Dorsch to house the Custer Collection (it is being moved to the Ellis). Imagine, having the library help subsidize the maintenance of City Hall by working cooperatively. Imagine - oh, I forgot this is Monroe and we seem to lack that ability.
Imagine - Brian Benateau had, AGAIN, another good idea. This one you don't have to imagine - it occurred, again.
Let’s face it. A foggy headed bunch a stupid yuppies from the old village plat cannot ever make the United Furniture building have the floor loading required by a library. The building is cash from we taxpayers into the pockets of the same thieves who stole the public access site from the public for some swamp land. As long we have WACO IACO and the thieves in charge and the observer for their mouthpiece we are doomed.
Get a life jerk.
JAFO
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