By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The Wood County District Public Library trustees decided Monday afternoon that when the city lifted its requirements for masking, it would follow suit.
And later that evening, city council lifted its requirements immediately.
The library will no longer require masks as of June 2 when the state lifts its health orders.
Wearing masks will still be encouraged. Other protocols will stay in place. Surface will continue to be sanitized, the plexiglass shields will be up, the number of people who are in the library and how long they stay will be limited, and social distancing will be observed. Patrons will still be encouraged to wear facial coverings, and employees will always be allowed to wear them and continue to take breaks to wash their hands.
The board discussed the matter for 40 minutes.
Library Director Michael Penrod said the situation reminds him of the early days of the pandemic when rules and recommendations changed every day. Now the easing of health orders from the state and federal government change constantly.
“It’s so confusing out there,” said Board President Brian Paskvan. “I feel we’re being pushed into this.”
As with businesses, the library can continue to require masks. Their rules, Penrod noted, can be stricter, not more lenient.
Several trustees continued to express concern.
The library “has been thrown a curveball,” said Becky Bhaer. “We have not done a great job of vaccination. We have not reached herd immunity. And the variants are out there. We have our backs to wall.”
“Kroger and other large companies are maintaining their mask regulations,” said John Fawcett. “We already have a template in place to keep the status quo. We’ll be criticized no matter what we do. My feeling is for the short term we should maintain masking.”
“I’m concerned about the enforcement,” said Mike Sibberson. “If city drops back, it could be more difficult to enforce.”
“I think that’s going to put the staff in a very difficult position,” Ken Frisch said. “Those who don’t want to wear a mask whether vaccinated or not vaccinated, they’re not going to wear a mask.”
The library can work to keep staff safe by keeping other measures in place, he said.
“If the city moves away from their mandate, I think we need to follow the leadership of our city,” he said.
Penrod said that on Friday the staff had to call the police for the first time to handle a “very belligerent” patron. “It has become more problematic and worse in the past month.”
He has the luxury of being in his office and not having to deal with these situations constantly.
Ellen Dalton said “we can strongly encourage” facial covering, “but not make it a mandate.”
The library has required patrons to wear masks and follow other safety protocols since it reopened July 7.
The change will coincide with an expansion of the library’s hours. As of June the library will be open Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. That’s 49 hours a week, an increase of 16 hours from the current schedule. The Walbridge Branch will have the same schedule, except for closing at 5 p.m. on Friday.
Penrod said he expects the library to resume a full schedule of 67 hours a week in September. He said the library will need to add staff before then.
The library will stick to its plans to hold summer programs outside, he said.
Also, curbside pickup will continue to be offered, even beyond the end of the pandemic. As of June 1, curbside hours will be the same as regular library hours. Only if the demand completely dried up would the service end.
Deputy Director Michele Raine encouraged patrons who use the service to download the Click for Curbside app. This is more efficient because library staff can check out all the books requested with one click, rather than individually.
She said those needing help could use the Tech Thursday services.
The trustees also gave Penrod the authority to get a cost estimate and do preliminary design work on moving the library’s book drop up to the south side of the building.
This would require eastbound traffic on Court Street to cross the westbound lane to access the book drop, and then cross again to re-enter Court Street.
Penrod has met with city officials and they have assured him that the plan with proper road markings meets all the traffic safety standards.
He estimates that the job will cost less than $50,000, so it would not have to be put out to bid.
Access to the existing book drop on the north side of the building will be affected by the construction of the new city building across Oak Street.
After construction starts as early as late summer, the drop off will become a walk up. It could possibly return to being accessible by vehicle later, but Penrod said, moving it will give the city more flexibility in its design and landscaping.
Also, having the drop off on the south side will be more efficient for the library. The books will come in at the area where they need to be processed instead of now having to be carted across the library from the Children’s Place.
