After two parties, library staff winding down to regular business

After planning and executing the ribbon-cutting/open house on April 9 and the elegant donors’ thank-you party on April 29, the Belleville Area District Library is taking a breath.
Library board president Sharon Peters said she really enjoyed the two events and they had been looking forward to them for so long. Board members thanked all the donors and sponsors of the events.
“We’re winding down,” president Peters said.
At its regular meeting on May 10, board members discussed the successful parties at the library and talked about new events coming up.
Library Director Mary Jo Suchy said she had been contacted by the Van Buren Public Schools and they want to have a student art show at the library in January.
Director Suchy said they have a new sculpture that was installed earlier that day. She said the library was given pictures of two different sculptures that were supposed to depict the Midwest Sculpture Initiative artwork that was to be put in front of the library. A completely different sculpture was installed right up next to the library building. She said the previous location for the leased artwork was in Fourth Street Place, but that was changed because the Belleville Central Business Community wanted that space for another vendor booth for its Farmer’s Market held each Monday during the summer.
Board secretary Alma Hughes-Grubbs asked if it would be possible for the library to be open on Sundays and Director Suchy said she is crunching the budget numbers, “So, stay tuned.”
Board member John Juriga said he has been a part of Music in the Park for 13 years and he would like to see a concert in front of the library. Also, he said, he would like to see two notaries on staff at the library to serve the public. Suchy said she would look into that.
Building committee chairperson Joy Cichewicz gave a report on the final details being taken care of to finish up the construction of the library building.
Suchy said Rachel Kisken, an intern working on her master’s degree in Information at the University of Michigan, will be with the library until August. She is interested in library outreach and community relations and attended the CBC’s meeting earlier that day.
At the end of the meeting, board vice-chairperson Mary Jane Dawson told the story of 13-year-old Harper Mathis, a student at Keystone Academy, who had a brain tumor in 2020 and with treatment was brought back to health. A couple of weeks ago the tumor came back with a vengeance. The parents Justin and Shellie and sister Payton need support, now, she said.
Dawson said this tumor is inoperable, so the parents are considering other clinical trials or going out of the country to seek treatment to save their daughter’s life. The parents would have to take off work and so the Belleville Yacht Club is trying to raise as much money as possible to help them, Dawson said.
A fund raiser is set from 6 to 11 p.m. on June 10 at the BYC. Tickets are $20 each and available through the BYC or www.tinyurl.com/hscomeback .