Theresa Lau, Sartell
At the Sartell City Council Meeting Nov. 23, information was reviewed from the Nov. 9 Great River Regional Library Board meeting. The GRRL voted to remove Sartell as a potential location for a new GRRL branch because the city has not presented a proposal that meets GRRL’s long-standing requirements.
At the GRRL meeting, the board engaged in a thoughtful discussion, and many members expressed strong support for a branch in Sartell, pointing out Sartell is one of the largest cities in Minnesota without a library. They indicated they are still willing to work with Sartell once the city council brings a proposal that meets their requirements for location and space.
As the council reviewed that information, council members David Peterson and Amy Braig-Lindstrom attempted to open discussion about options to continue the process of obtaining a GRRL branch, an idea that began decades ago. However, Mayor Sarah Jane Nicoll made a motion to have no further discussion about the library at this time. She appears to be focused on waiting for a GRRL assessment to evaluate alternatives, such as bookmobiles or kiosks for certain locations, not specific to Sartell. Peterson rightly pointed out the problem of allocating money for a community center without discussing plans for a library. The mayor’s motion essentially kills plans for a GRRL library, as the money from the half-cent sales tax will all be allocated to a community center by the time they return to any discussion about a library.
As a citizen and taxpayer, I am saddened by the council decision. In listening to the GRRL board, its members clearly stated their requirements for a branch library. In the city-council meeting, rather than brainstorming or considering options to bring a branch library to fruition, a decision was made to close the door on decades of work in support of a GRRL branch and to ignore the wishes of the constituents and taxpayers of Sartell.