Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP Board of Trustee members, from left, Trustee Steve Boyd, Supervisor Alan Baron, Trustee Kathy Maki and Trustee Kevin Lyons review documents during Monday's board meeting.
IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - The Ironwood Township Board of Trustees voted to seek proposals from both the Ironwood Carnegie Library and the Bessemer Public Library for the township's future library services at Monday's meeting.
The vote gave township Supervisor Alan Baron the authorization to request information on the services that each library would provide township residents as well as costs of said services from both entities.
The approved motion's wording asked for a three-year agreement with the township.
Both libraries have expressed interest in serving township residents in the past.
"We love having the township, so we hope they stay," Bessemer Library Director Melissa Rajala told the Daily Globe earlier this month.
Carnegie Library Director, Elaine Erickson, hopes that the township will renew its relationship.
"Our view is that we are the community's library and we welcome serving all the community's children and adults, and we hope that Ironwood Township will return to us," Erickson told the Daily Globe earlier in March.
The existing one-year agreement that the township has with the Bessemer Public Library expires on June 30 according to Rajala.
The board set a tentative deadline of April 23 for the return of the proposals.
At the beginning of the meeting, several representatives from a group of township residents in favor of returning to the Carnegie Library addressed the board. According to the speakers, the group has been collecting signatures of those who support returning to the Carnegie Library. The group was later added to the agenda of the board's next meeting where these signatures will be presented to the board.
Petitions to support the return of the township to the Carnegie Library system can be found at the Carnegie Library and the Downtown Art Place, Lee-Ann Garske - who spoke in favor of returning to the Carnegie Library - told the Daily Globe after the meeting.
Among other board actions:
- The board appointed John Rundquist to serve as the township's representative on the Gogebic County Council of Veteran Affairs.
- The board approved a motion to advertise for two seats as alternates on the township's board of review.
- The board approved the job description for the position of township secretary pending approval of the language by the township's attorney.
Trustee Bernie Brunello, Treasurer Jyl Olson-DeRosso and Clerk Gayla Salmi weren't present at the meeting.
