District library considers putting cameras on bee hives

When the idea came up to put honey bee hives on the roof of the new Belleville Area District Library, the goal was for everyone to be able to watch the bees.
But, during construction, the location of the bees had to be moved to a place on the roof where they can’t be seen by library patrons.
At the April 13 meeting of the Belleville Area District Library Board via zoom, building committee chairperson Joy Cichewicz gave a report on the new building and noted the bees are ready to be put in. She said board member John Juriga has arranged for the donation of a third hive.
Board chairperson Sharon Peters asked if they couldn’t put a camera on the bees so people can still see them.
“Put a monitor in the kids’ area,” suggested board member Linda Priest. “It can’t be too complicated to have a camera and monitor.”
Chairperson Peters said she remembered when Juriga brought up the idea of the bees that he wanted them by a window so everyone could watch them from inside.
Library Director Mary Jo Suchy said she would look into putting in a camera.
In other business at the 47-minute, April 13 meeting, the board:
• Heard Cichewicz announce that a lot of little things are being done to finish off the library construction, including the installation of the bench at the Sumpter branch, moving some of the stuff out of the fire hall/museum construction office, working on nameplates for the rooms, investigating when the irrigation should be turned on, dealing with the $100,000 more in HVAC changes to make the building less virus-friendly, and to investigate the sewer smell in the mechanical room. She said getting the humidity level up is the big thing. She advised that metal prices have doubled;
• Heard Director Suchy announce that the city of Belleville’s DPS Director Rick Rutherford presented the library’s permanent certificate of occupancy that day;
• Heard chairperson Peters report the marketing committee doesn’t want to have the grand opening of the new library until COVID precautions are no longer necessary, such as masking or social distancing. The committee set a meeting for 11 a.m., April 22;
• Heard Suchy report that at the last art committee meeting they introduced new member Noelle Douglas, took donations of the offered sculptures, and worked with Doug Peters to accept the artwork to be on loan from Sheena Barnes;
• Heard Suchy give her monthly report. She said COVID numbers now are not very good and some libraries have gone back to curbside only, but the Belleville library continues to have limited inside services. She said she has encouraged everyone on the staff to be vaccinated and 70% have had at least one shot. She said the library did not win the digital contest to put the Independent online from its beginning. She said Monroe County and Beaver Island won the contest. “I bet our library is prettier,” said vice-chairperson Mary Jane Dawson. Suchy said they are looking into how much it would cost to do it themselves;
• Heard chairperson Peters suggest they use the now-opened Fourth Street in front of the library for some proposed outside events this summer. “That’s the reason it was done,” Peters said of the upgrades to Fourth Street done by the Belleville Downtown Development Authority;
• Heard Juriga announce that the yearly perennial plant swap will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, in the library parking lot. The event is coordinated by the Belleville Area Garden Club. Suchy said the Friends of the Library will not have a used book sale this year. There presently are used books on sale inside the library;
• Heard Priest thank the Independent and its editor for keeping the community informed during this pandemic when everyone was locked down. Juriga agreed that it kept the community together. Peters said it seems the editor is able to cover even more now with the zoom meetings. Dawson also thanked the Independent for keeping the community up to date;
• Heard Cichewicz thank Juriga for his persistence in “getting bees in our building”; and
• Heard Peters say she is happy that it is spring and she regularly goes inside and outside of the new library. “I’m so thrilled,” she said of the building and its services. She said there are some downsides now. Dawson brought forward a patron who needed study space, but, “We don’t have the safety to have patrons to come into the study room.” She said she and Dawson found another option for the patron. “It’s a scary time for Michigan to be in the condition it’s in, after all it’s been through,” Peters said.