Library Board reelects officers with Sharon Peters as chairwoman

At the Jan. 14 meeting of the Belleville Area District Library Board, all board members were elected with a unanimous vote to serve for the year 2020.
Sharon Peters will continue as chairwoman, Mary Jane Dawson as vice chairwoman, Alma Hughes Grubbs as secretary, and Joy Cichewicz as treasurer.
Peters said she will present the committee rosters at the next meeting and they will be the same as last year unless somebody objects.
This will be to keep things simplified because with all decisions for the new library they have a lot of work to do.
In other business at the one-hour-and-32-minute meeting, the board:
• Accepted the 2018-19 audit by Alan C. Young & Associates with an unmodified opinion, the top category;
• Heard Peters announce she is appointing Barb Gates to the art committee, which has delayed any artwork decisions for the new library until after they can see the colors in person;
• Heard the building committee report by Cichewicz, which included details of the opening of the media center in Sumpter and the addition of red curtains and a red refrigerator to the center after the open house. Most of the people coming to the media center are coming to pick up books they ordered, she said. As to the main library in Belleville, Cichewicz reported the curtain wall is three-quarters done, but they did not ship enough windows. The circular stair railing has not yet been delivered and they can’t open the building without it because it is a safety measure. Once it is received it will take a week and a half to install. She said the elevator is done and the phone is working. They had automatic book return training last week, some of the bookshelves have arrived, and the sunscreen had arrived and is being installed. Cichewicz said every area tiled has been short. She said she loves the children’s area and the lights there;
• Heard John Juriga say he talked to the city council about doing something with the interior beams of the old library. He said all the used books that used to be on the shelves for the Friends of the Library to sell are gone. Juriga said he recycled the soft covers and a lot had been sold and the rest were disposed of. He said the books in the hallway were given to Monroe;
• Heard Library Director Mary Jo Suchy say she has a whole list of phone numbers of people who want to help with the move from the old library to the new. She reported one of the quilts has already been taken by the high school and the other will be going into the new library’s history room. Peters said Dan Selman of Van Buren Township said the township is interested in the mural in the old library. Suchy said there is a delay on their Dell computer order due to trade/tariff issues. She noted the automated materials handling system has been installed and the conveyor belts will be visible through the front window;
• Heard Dawson say she was concerned about all the chairs in the new media center in Sumpter having their backs to the door. There are monitors by the door, but Suchy said maybe they could put up some mirrors they have so they could see who’s coming in. Suchy also said the library has extra squares from the carpet in the present library meeting room and they will be put on the floor for kids in the media center;
• Learned Kelly Skinner has been promoted to full-time librarian in the adult services department. The full-time staff has been interviewing part-time librarians and library assistants for the new building;
• Learned the Friends of the Library held their meeting the previous Saturday and reelected their officers. The power went out as they started their meeting and the meeting continued. Linda Arnold has retired from heading up the used book sales for the Friends. Suchy said nobody wants to take over that position, but there may be some possible co-chairpersons;
• Discussed upcoming events, including the Feb. 21 Mardi Gras celebration at the old Fred C. Fischer Library, the soft opening of the new library around Feb. 24, the grand opening of the new library on July 25, and a special party for donors; and
• Heard Peters say, “These are really exciting times,” with Juriga echoing, “Very exciting times.” Juriga said he tries to go into the new building every day. Dawson said, “I’m so excited,” adding the ribbon-cutting at the branch in Sumpter on Jan. 13 was “like Christmas, my birthday, and Halloween” all in one. Peters said, “We are all giddy around this table. It’s been 10 or 20 years of work before we got to this point.”
The next meeting of the library board at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 11, is expected to be in the new library.