Looking to strengthen communities on a budget? Invest in our libraries upstairs, and the exterior ramp access is difficult for those with mobility issues, particularly during Michigan winters. While people always need libraries, they need them even more
Gratiot Avenue has a history as long as its 27.1 miles that stretch from downtown Detroit to Chesterfield Township and straight through Michigan’s Ninth District, including classic establishments like Eastern Market, the Faygo bottling plant, and the Better Made Potato Chips factory.
Over nearly two centuries, Gratiot has seen many restaurants and businesses come and go, but now is the time to strengthen several of its most cherished and resilient institutions — our public libraries.
Libraries are the cornerstones of our communities, empowering people of all ages to explore the world through books, strengthen their job prospects through access to job-training and even help Michiganders heal by providing telehealth resources. Even as libraries continue to play a pivotal role for the cities and townships they serve, years of underfunding have left some of our local libraries crumbling.
As Congress works to pass President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, a far-reaching infrastructure package, the bipartisan Build America’s Libraries Act would dedicate $5 billion to the modernization of libraries nationwide, with an estimated $135 million allocated for Michigan.
This bill provides funds that libraries need, and many communities cannot currently provide. Our state has 394 public libraries. Federal funding to support their repair, renovation and replacement ended in 1997. The average American library building is more than 40 years old, and over the last decade, we’ve seen a dramatic reduction in investments to improve and maintain our library system. Libraries are too important for the communities they serve to continue this troubling trend.
Take the Roseville Public Library. Built in 1974, RPL closed its north entrance in February due to repair costs. The building still needs upgraded electrical outlets. More than one plug in an outlet triggers the circuit breaker. Weekly requests from the active Roseville community for group study rooms and space for Scout meetings, workshops and community resource training cannot be accommodated because the space wasn’t designed for these purposes. In a few years, the library will be able to afford carpet, paint, and upholstery for the first time since an addition was built in 1997, but the money will fall well short of modifying the space that residents need in 2021.
For Chesterfield Township Library, serving nearly 50,000 residents, the legislation could help reverse 67 years of inadequate infrastructure investment. Since 2005, the library has leased a warehouse, which has 13,500 square feet for public use. Capacity is limited to 116 people, but there are only eight electrical outlets. There are no private study rooms, and no windows in the children’s room or reading area. The Library Board of Trustees purchased land for a new library three years ago, but while they are grateful for donations already received, financing construction is an enormous hurdle.
The Build America’s Libraries Act could also serve the Harrison Township Public Library.
Repurposed from the community hall in 2009, the library is 3,900 square feet when it should be 25,000, based on population. The director’s office and staff breakroom are in renovated bathrooms. Staff are crowded into a workspace designed for half as many workers. Just a block from the high school and middle school, there is no quiet study space for students. What’s more, the room used to conduct programs is