With four Windsor Town Board seats, three Severance Town Board seats and the Mayor of Severance up for election this April 3rd, now is the perfect time for Friends of the Clearview Library District to ask themselves, “How can my Town Board representative and Mayor help support the Library?”
The Town Board has an important job. By focusing on promoting the Town and its services, Board members support the work of different groups in the community. And guess what? We are one of those groups!
As influencers in their respective communities, Town Board representatives need to hear from you, library lovers. All representatives should be well aware of what is going on at the library and the amazing services we offer the community. Have they heard about the services the library provides for seniors at five assisted living facilities in Windsor? Do they know that every Tuesday the library hold a Girls Who Code club for junior high and high school-aged girls? Has anyone told them that reading aloud to children -- which occurs every day of the week at the library and bookmobile -- is one of the most effective ways to develop language skills? Speak up! Share with your Town Board representative everything that is going on in the Clearview Library District and why it matters. Town Board members should be as informed as possible about the community they serve, and we can help make that happen.
And while these services are good and well, it will be important to communicate the challenges of delivering library services in a community that is growing at such a rapid rate. Especially when resources -- such as space -- are becoming more and more limited. Recently, we had to implement a ticketing system for our overcrowded story times. When looking around for summer-time outdoor programming space, we were faced with logistical challenges of using local parks and had to reconsider, and reduce, outdoor programs offered. With limited programming rooms at the library, we typically cannot offer more than one program at a time, which limits our reach to the community. Growth in our community is inevitable and the library is not immune to the difficulties growth presents. Communicating these challenges to our Town Board representatives, gives them a chance to advocate on our behalf.
Unsure of how to start the conversation? It’s easier than you think. Contact information for each Windsor Town Board representative, including those currently running, is available online. For Severance Town Board members, information is here and here.
Pick up the phone or write an email and introduce yourself. Let your representatives know how you are involved with the Clearview Library District and why it matters to you. The more our representatives know about the library, its services, and the value it adds to our growing and vibrant community, the more they can use their influential voice to advocate on the library’s behalf.
Not sure who your Town Board representative is? This map should help.
Here are some of the candidates on the library.
Jen Dionne (District 4) - I think the library plays a big and important role to the community. Not only is it a place of learning but it's a gathering place as well. The programs are fun, exciting, and thought-provoking. The library serves as a gathering place for the community. It forges relationships and offers a place for people to go to take a break from it all. It offers computers, printing, DVD's, CD's and of course books! It encourages reading and early learning and fosters cooperation and community.
Carrie Ann Lucas (District 5) - Libraries are cornerstones of a community. My family uses the library regularly. While the library is a separate entity from the town board, like the school district and the fire district, the town must work closely with the library district to meet the needs of residents.
Patrick Reinard (District 5) - After meeting with the Director of the Library last week, I believe that the Clearview Libary is another asset that needs to be brought to the forefront of Windsor. The changes are amazing, I don't think most of the town knows about the changes that are going on. I know I will be stopping in more.
Paul Rennemeyer (District 4) - I think the Clearview Library is an integral part of our community and they provide many beneficial services and education. My family thoroughly enjoys the library in a variety of facets, like the summer reading program, the book mobile as well as countless movies and books we have checked out through out the years. Just this past Wednesday I met with the library board's President Joann Perko and the library director Ann Kling where we discussed the role of the library in our community. It is my desire that the Library continues to provide many essential services long into Windsor's future.
Nancy Salazar (District 6) - I truly believe a library contains knowledge and knowledge is powerful! The education that a library contains in the literature and different types allows us all to see the world in so many ways. The library provides all of this to people of all ages and to those who seek it in the Town of Windsor.
Barry Wilson’s (District 2) - I am a friend of the Library. When I decided to run for Town Board (district 2), one of my first meetings was with Ann Kling, Director of the Clearview Library District. Ann and I sat down one-on-one in her office on January 25th and have had several interactions since then. She gave me a personal tour of the library and we discussed the Libraries successes, challenges, etc. I was already familiar with the Library. As a father of 3, my family has utilized the Library. I think they do a great job in the current facility, but space is a major issue. Given our current and projected growth, I believe a new library is warranted and would be a welcome addition to main street (better than a big-box store). A positive of all the growth is the tax revenue and we should spend the money wisely. We subsidize a lot of businesses and services. We can afford an investment in a new library. It is an investment in our future. With that said, it's not the Town Board's decision to build ot not build a new library. It's up to the voters in November. Please vote for the new Library.
I attend Town Board meetings and and would like to see the Town Board member assigned to the Library Board be an advocate for the Library. The Town Board representative on the Library Board should be an advocate for the Library promoting the value to the community, needs, successes, etc. The Town Board has a stage that should be utilized twice a month to promote the library. A lot can be said in a minute or two.
If elected, I will continue to be a friend of the Library.