Residents in the former Township of Sydenham will continue to have access to library services in Owen Sound.
Meaford council has passed a resolution stating they are committed to providing those residents with library services at the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library.
A current 10 year agreement sees Meaford pay to allow Sydenham residents to be members – in 2008 Meaford contributed 104-thousand dollars to the 1.3 million dollar Union Library budget.
That contract is set to expire in 2011 and Meaford was recently invited to participate in negotiations for a new contract.
The invite led to heated debates and public meetings about the issue of having the municipality pay so a segment of the population could use an outside library.
Mayor Francis Richardson says what council took from all the information they heard from the public is that access to a library in a reasonable location is extremely important.
He says he wants Sydenham residents to hear the message loud and clear – council will ensure they continue to have that access.
Interestingly, Owen Sound Chief Librarian Judy Armstrong was at the same council meeting to present the library’s annual report.
She pointed out that 37.3 per cent of Sydenham’s population are active cardholders at the Union Library – while for Owen Sound it’s 38.9 per cent.
Armstrong says that speaks very highly to the tremendous use Sydenham residents make of the library.
She adds she sees Sydenham residents at the library every single day and it’s very important to see the relationship continue.
However – Mayor Richardson says the second part of council’s resolution states Meaford will not be involved in drawing up any future contract.
Richardson says council feels they should not be at the table for those discussions since Meaford is not a member of the Union Library, but paying for services.
He says with a Meaford Library Board of their own, it’s not appropriate to be involved with another board elsewhere.
Richardson says council has let it be known that they will wait to be presented with a proposal.
He says it is way too early to say exactly what kind of a proposal Meaford would agree to – whether it’s another 10 year contract or an annual one.
But once again he says there will be another contract after 2011 that will allow Sydenham residents continued access to the Owen Sound Library.