District Library Board approves vape detectors for 6 public restrooms

The Building Committee of the Belleville Area District Library Board recommended the purchase of vape detectors for six public restrooms at the board’s regular meeting on March 11.
The board unanimously approved the expenditure of $10,301 to O’Neal Construction to provide, install, and wire the vape detectors. This includes a one-year Triton Cloud License, which gives access to the Triton Club dashboard and app for easy device management and other things.
The Triton Cloud License carries a yearly recurring fee of $75 for each device.
Library Director Mary Jo Suchy said the devices will detect if someone is vaping marijuana or other substances, noting this has been an issue. She said the detectors will alert by text message, app notification, email, or third-party video software. It can be silenced at certain times of the day.
Director Suchy said it can be used in any way they wish to set it. She said they will put up some warning signs.
“Schools use this,” Suchy said. “It’s very effective.”
When people are found vaping they are sent from the library and unable to return, she said.
Board member Maria Jackson-Smith asked if anyone gets threatening when asked to leave and Suchy said that hasn’t been their experience. She said a few years back an adult with mental problems knocked something over on the checkout desk before being expelled, but that was their only incident.
She said if people start vaping in library corners if they find out they can’t do it in the restrooms any more, they may have to get more detectors.
In other business at the hour-long meeting, the board:
• Heard visitor Barbara Miller, a member of the Detroit Institute of Arts Authority, say she has been urging the DIA to get the information out about what is offered by the millage-supported DIA. Miller said at the last meeting of the authority, she said she told members that librarians are key in their communities, countywide, and can get information out. There will be an invitation to all librarians to come to the DIA and Julie McFarland, executive director of community outreach, wants to meet with Suchy and Miller about what kind of program should be offered to the librarians on that day. Miller said Suchy is considered the prime library director in the county;
• Heard Suchy and board president Sharon Peters report on the current situation where Wayne County libraries were overpaid and underpaid on penal fines for ten years. Suchy said she did a deep dive into the data and discovered incorrect data in 2019 and 2020 equalling about $16,000 to the Belleville library’s benefit. The Belleville library was said to be overpaid $139,087. Suchy emailed the Wayne County Treasurer’s office which said the spread sheet would be revised. Suchy and Peters met with attorney G. Hans Rentrop, who the library board had hired, and he highly recommended that it is in the best interest of all parties to work toward a settlement agreement. He saw the benefit of having a county audit conducted and of having checks and balances in place to assure that this does not happen in the future. Peters said she was pleased with what the attorney said and she thinks he won’t spend the entirety of the board’s retainer by doing things not needed. Although some board members had wanted to get money back from the county for making the mistakes, the attorney said there is no basis to “get a pound of flesh” from the county and it is unknown if the county will do an audit. Peters said this will be an ongoing item of discussion in future board meetings;
• Learned full-time librarian Kelly Skinner is retiring from the library to pursue a new career. She has been on staff since the 1990s. Substitute librarian Rachel Davies will be promoted to full-time adult services librarian. Davies works at a college now and will finish her semester there before beginning full-time here, Suchy said. Incoming library assistants were identified as Solina Robles and Samantha Shannon;
• Was informed the library is now offering free one-on-one tutoring with trained literacy volunteers. If anyone knows an adult who needs help reading, more information is available by contacting Jenn Richardson at (734) 699-3291 or jrichardson@belleville.lib.mi.us ;
• Learned the Alzheimer’s Association of Michigan is giving a presentation to empower caregivers, called “Building Foundations of Care,” from 11 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, March 26, in the Cozzad Room. Also, “Boredom Busting” programs for students is offered during spring break, March 24-27. Also a class, Starting Veggies from Seed for warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant…), will be presented at 6:30 p.m. March 26. “Grow Great Vegetables” is set at 6:30 p.m. April 16 and “Little Scientists’ Plants” youth program is 2 p.m., April 26;
• Was informed the a food drive receptacle will be put in the lobby from March 17 to April 11 to collect food for Gleaners, in cooperation with The Library Network;
• Heard board member Dan Fleming say he needed help with his software Power Point and a library employee, Tam, helped him out. He was very grateful;
• Heard board vice-president Linda Priest say she met a neighbor who had lived in the city for 10 years and worked from home. The neighbor had never been to the library, so Priest said she brought her to the library and the lady really liked it. Board members said they are always amazed when people say they have never been to the library; and
• Heard Peters announce that she was informed about the Belleville Downtown Development Authority’s special event for high school seniors from 1-3 p.m. on the last day of school, June 13. It will be in the alley next to the library, or the Fourth Street Square or on Main Street, or somewhere else, which is yet to be determined, Peters said.