Fraser Library celebrates 60 years, looks to future

FRASER — Despite a vehicle crashing through one of its walls last year, the Fraser Public Library is pushing ahead and making do with what they have.

“After the accident there was a moment of panic trying to figure everything out,” said Fatima Syed, the marketing and development coordinator for the library. “It was very heartwarming to see the support that we had.”

The library is celebrating 60 years, running Aug. 17-30, with a variety of giveaways and raffles for those with a Fraser Public Library card.

 

History
The oldest part of the building is from 1884, according to Library Director Lorena McDowell. This area was previously a school related to the Saint John Lutheran Church. When the church moved across the street, they allowed the library to rent the building for about 20 years. Eventually, the city purchased the building to house the library. The city currently owns the building.

The newest part of the building is the annex in the back and the elevator, which were built in the late 1970s, McDowell said.

The library came about as a petition of the people, according to McDowell. She said residents went door to door, collecting signatures to get the library on the 1963 ballot. It was approved by voters and started in 1964.

Things dramatically changed for the library last year. It was forced to move following a vehicle crashing through one of its walls on May 21. No one was injured in the crash.

“The gentleman in question jumped the curb, ran across the grass, took out a handicapped sign, took out the planter box we had made to put stuff in. Then he hit the building, went through the brick wall and the cement wall on the outside and then went through all of the employee desks in the backroom. They were totaled. He even took out our brand-new printer that we had just gotten a few weeks before the incident.

“He made it to the drywall behind the circulation desk, so everything in the circulation area was destroyed or ruined. Pretty much all of our employee functioning areas are gone,” McDowell was quoted as saying at the time in the Chronicle.

McDowell highlighted the library’s ability to adapt in the wake of the crash.

“I am very proud of us that we got the building packed up and moved in six weeks,” McDowell said about the aftermath of the accident. “We reopened in six weeks.”

“They’ve done an outstanding job,” Library Board of Trustees Vice President Jim Sutherland said.

 

Building update
The library has been in two separate spots in the same strip mall since July 1, 2023, located near the intersection of 15 Mile Road and Hayes Road. At one point, Christ Church in Fraser also allowed the library to use space for programming during the closure.

“It’s been fine here,” McDowell said. “The landlord is really good; he’s very responsive. The bad part is we couldn’t get the place in between the two, so we’re separated.”

She confirmed that the damage from the accident has been repaired, but other things still need to be fixed before the building can be functional again.

“We are currently going through inspections because the city would like the library to take over the building,” McDowell said. “But we know there are a lot of problems in the old building, so we want to know what we’re getting into. Not just saying, ‘Sure, it’s fine.’”

McDowell said there is no set date to return to the building, if the library does at all. It all depends on the inspections and if another better-suited space becomes available.

For example, she said there was a ceiling collapse as the inspection was being done. She also mentioned potential issues with mold in the building. Sutherland added that the elevator and the building’s air conditioning need to be revamped.

“Even though they repaired the hole in the wall, there are problems that don’t even stem from the accident,” McDowell said.

“The biggest thing for us is safety,” Sutherland said. “We want to make sure we’re not pushing a move-in where it’s unsafe for our employees or our citizens. Safety has to be the No. 1 thing.”

The library almost moved into the former State Bank of Fraser building. McDowell said a purchase agreement was in place in 2022, but the city did not want to give the library the funding to use the space.

“It would be a perfect library there,” she said. “Yeah, it needed to be fixed up, too, but it didn’t need as much help as the old building did.”

“We had the funds, we just needed the bond from the city to go ahead and purchase the building,” Syed said.

The fate of the bank building has been a lightning rod of controversy in the community as Sheetz, a gas station and convenience store chain, has aimed to take over the location. Plans for the new Sheetz, available at an April 25 open house, do not utilize the building. The building was constructed in 1930.

According to the city’s attorney, Donald DeNault, the decision of whether to OK Sheetz’s proposed development could come before the Fraser City Council at its Sept. 12 meeting.

 

Looking ahead
Despite the building woes, the library is looking ahead.

“In terms of the building, we don’t know what the future holds,” Syed said. “But we’re going to keep going in the same direction that we have been, making sure that we’re offering all the services we were offering before. Our goal, even after the accident, was to make sure Fraser has a library.”

An updated millage has allowed the library to do things it wasn’t able to in the past. On Aug. 2, 2022, voters approved the 2-mill proposal, replacing the 1-mill millage the library operated on since its founding.

Though two separated locations in the strip mall is a downside, the library is able to utilize the green space at the strip mall for library programs.

“We’ve had good results with the programming,” Sutherland said, highlighting the eclipse viewing in particular.

One silver lining of the new space is its accessibility for people in different parts of the city, though it cuts the other way, limiting some patrons of the old location from stopping in.

The library has rolled out new things like Wi-Fi hotspots for patrons to check out. Mango, a program which offers 60 foreign language courses, is now available. The library now utilizes Blackstone, allowing multiple patrons to check out an audiobook at the same time. It also now has access to Comics Plus, a digital database of comics, manga and picture books.

“We’re doing what we can with what we have,” McDowell said.

Sutherland said he was optimistic about the future.

“I’m excited about the future of the library and the city,” he said. “I know for a fact we’re going in the right direction. I’d ask the residents to be patient with us as we go through all of this because it’s a big undertaking with everything that’s going on.”

Sutherland encouraged residents to visit the library’s website, fraserpubliclibrary.org, and its Facebook page to get information and updates. He also encouraged the public to come to library board meetings on the third Monday of each month, depending on the holidays, at 5:30 p.m.

“Some stuff out there might not be the truth,” he said. “So the best place to get the truth is from the source.”

Syed said the best way to give the library feedback is via email at fraserlibrary@libcoop.net.