Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Members of the Bessemer Recreation Commission following a Thursday meeting show three of the four Little Free Library boxes that were recently constructed and painted with donations and will be placed at locations around Bessemer. The commissioners, from left, Ron Zaleski, president; Marlene Zaleski, Kathie Billie and Cheryl Olsen are at the Zaleski home.
By TOM LAVENTURE
Bessemer - Residents will soon see four Little Free Library boxes at locations around the city of Bessemer, as volunteers plan to complete the work over the next few weeks.
"It's a way to get people reading and kids especially," said Cheryl Olsen, a member of the Bessemer Recreation Commission at the Thursday meeting.
The four boxes were constructed and painted and the varnishing and lettering is currently underway, said Ron Zaleski, commission president. Lumber and hinges were donated by Bill Steiger, and the boxes were constructed by Jim and Susan Prescott, Zaleski said.
The commission members, also including Marlene Zaleski, Kathie Billie and Cheryl Olson, are painting and lettering the boxes, he said. Olson also purchased the paint, he said.
"We can't appreciate enough the donations and the volunteer work for this project," Zaleski said.
The city will only need to provide poles and some concrete to place the boxes, he said.
The next step is to determine the four locations of the boxes. One will be placed in the Ethnic Commons Park downtown, and somewhere in Bluff Valley Park, he said. The locations for the other two boxes are still to be determined.
The Little Free Library is a national nonprofit organization that promotes neighborhood book exchanges. The intent of the libraries is for people to take books to read and place other books they've read in them for others to read.
"We are looking for donations for the Little Libraries," Olson said. "We would like to see family friendly books and specifically coloring books and crayons for the kids."
Zaleski said he'd have a drop off box for books and children's materials on his deck at 500 W. Lead Street, in Bessemer. He said the only items not accepted are adult materials that are sexual or excessively violent in nature.
In his report, Zaleski said the work to create a physical disability accessible area within an undeveloped area of Bluff Valley Park, is continuing but limited to what can be done without permits. He is contacting the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regarding the process to remove concrete culverts in and around a stream that no longer function and obstruct natural water flow.
"We want to get the culverts out before winter if we can," he said.
The commission is seeking a bocce ball expert to assist with locating materials and designing a bocce ball area for Bluff Valley Park.
In her report, Olson said the work to place signage identifying trees and other vegetation in Bluff Valley Park has reached a point to contact the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. She would like to conduct a walk-through with DNR officials to assist with identifying trees and plants and providing the common and scientific names.
In other business, the commission will speak with Charly Loper, Bessemer city manager, about rescheduling an Aug. 9 special meeting. The commission will also request a special meeting to discuss what needs to be done to add a skateboard equipment and a mountain bike trail.
