Library not sure Korah Branch will survive beyond this summer

Sault Ste. Marie Public Library board members disagreed Monday night over whether or not they decided at a closed-door meeting on May 27 to close the controversial Korah Branch library.

The end result of Monday's meeting was to soften the language of a draft letter to City Council that initially warned the library board had no choice but to close Korah Branch at the end of August.

"The board, recognizing the importance of maintaining library services in the west end of our community, has strived to continue those services and will do so, unaltered, until the end of the 2019 summer," said a first draft of the letter to Mayor Christian Provenzano and councillors.

"Unfortunately, there are not sufficient operational funds to continue its operation into autumn," the draft stated. "The library board has a fiduciary responsibility and cannot knowingly diminish its financial position by maintaining Korah branch."

Draft minutes from a closed-door meeting on May 27 also implied a decision had been reached to close the 52-year-old branch library at 556 Goulais Ave. before the new North Branch opens its doors at the former Alexander Henry High School site on Northern Avenue.

"Due to limited resources the board has decided to close the Korah Branch at the end of the 2019 summer just prior to the opening of the North Branch," the draft minutes stated. "Further, the board has requested the acting chief executive officer/director of public libraries include in the 2020 budget submission due in September 2019 with a request for additional funds to operate Korah Branch in the next year."

But board members disagreed last night on whether any such conclusion was actually reached at the May 27 meeting.

"The third paragraph of the letter makes it sound like we have decided to close it on Aug. 31, 2019. I don't think we reached that point," said board member Wayne Greco.

"I thought we were seeing how far we could stretch this out when we ended that meeting," Greco said.

"We did not say we were closing Aug. 31st. We were presenting our options to City Council, in a report. We're not going into a deficit position."

Another board member, Ward 2 Councillor Luke Dufour, disagreed, indicating the draft letter was "well-written" and "in my point of view accurately summarized where I thought we had landed." 

It was finally decided to strike the reference to a closure decision from the meeting's official minutes and use less-threatening language in the letter to City Council.

A report prepared by Matthew MacDonald, acting chief executive officer and director of public libraries, outlined several scenarios for Korah Branch's future.

The only scenario that didn't result in a substantial deficit was closing the branch.

The library board's request to City Council will ask for "additional operating funds in order to operate Korah Branch, even at limited capacity, in 2020 and the following years."

"Since the first announcement about the branch's possible closure, we have heard from the public about how important the service is to them. It is the board's hope that council will re-evaluate its position on Korah Branch," the request will state.

Interestingly, later in Monday night's meeting the library board approved a 2020 preliminary budget that included limited cash for continued operation of Korah Branch.

The branch would be closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Other hours would be as follows:

• Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Thursday: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Friday: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Overall, the preliminary budget asks City Council for $205,989 more than the city's 2019 contribution.

Other news from Monday night's library board meeting:

• Citizen Mark Brown was granted 10 minutes to address the board about its policy encouraging public participation in library issues. After exceeding his alloted time by 46 seconds, Brown was interrupted and precluded from further palavering. The board voted to have its policy committee examine procedural bylaws of other library boards to ensure Sault Ste. Marie Public Library is allowing proper opportunity for public participation
• The library has strengthened its policy on children under age 10 left unattended on library property. When children are left at the library without parental supervision, staff are authorized to notify the family, Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, Children's Aid Society or Nogdawindamin Family and Community Services. "Parents are responsible for providing supervision and care of their children while on the premises. Library staff can neither care for, nor take responsibility for children left unattended at the library," the policy states
• Hannah Caicco, a recent Algoma University graduate, is the library's new digital creator lead. Her position is funded for 12 to 18 months by a Canada Council for the Arts grant through Near North Mobile Media Lab
• Rick Wark has resigned from the library board, citing an inability to consistently attend meetings due to personal circumstances. The board is comprised of nine community members, all appointed by City Council. Remaining members of the 2019-2022 library board are Elspeth Belair (chair), Wayne Greco (vice chair), Luke Dufour, Erin Ferlaino, Kevin Harrison, Sara McCleary, Steve Murray and Frances Ryan. City Council will asked to select a replacement for Wark
• The inter-library loan program has resumed as of June 1. Loan requests are now accepted at both branch locations and through an online form. Sault Ste. Marie Public Library announced Apr. 24 that all inter-library loans were suspended until further notice because of provincial budget cuts to the Southern Ontario and Northern Ontario Library Service organizations. Those groups have worked with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport to find a way to restore inter-library loans province-wide, both organizations providing partial reimbursement to libraries for delivery costs through Canada Post.