Dear Editor,
The Goodrich/Atlas Library is going through some changes in funding and ownership. If you haven’t been in the library for some time, or have never visited it at all, now is a good time to visit and see the treasure we have. When you walk through the doors of this historical building, the floorboards gently squeak, and the smell and aura of library is unmistakable. With the sky high ceiling, the bookshelves, wood furniture, and the children’s corner adorned with books, d’cor and a little wooden table, you feel the warmth of a small town library. There are also computers for public use, a copy machine, and a large selection of DVDs to browse. Our library is well used and appreciated by many people on a regular basis.
Our library building has changed from village ownership to township ownership, but it is still us, the same people, who really own it. The county library system pays for our books and librarian, but we pay for the utilities, the building upkeep, and the extras that go along with a library. How we now fund our share of the library is currently in discussion. One suggestion is to let residents vote on a very small millage dedicated entirely to the library. Another suggestion is to set a flat assessment of about $10 per year for each household in the township/village, dedicated entirely to the library. (We could easily recoup the value of that $10 by our use of the library DVD collection alone! )
Our township board hesitates to ask for any new tax or assessment, understandably, during these difficult times. However, direct funding for the library, at very little household cost, would give us the ability to maintain and improve on the services that our library provides, expand a little, and serve an even larger number of residents.
Please be a part of the discussion and solution. Talk with your neighbors, visit the library, talk with your township board, or join the Friends of the Library group. Together we can come up with a winning solution, whatever it may be, for this historical center in our community and keep it for the next generations to come.
Angie Adamec
Goodrich