If it's a Little Free Library Bluewater Dunes residents want, it's a Little Free Library they shall get.
Tiny Township council committee approved a plan that would see staff working with the Bluewater Dunes Ratepayers Association to find a suitable location for the project.
But without a public location available, the association will have to register with the Little Free Library and maintain and manage it privately.
"The individual that's responsible would sign up and take ownership from a standpoint of maintenance and there will be a biweekly maintenance (from the township)," said public works director Tim Leitch.
"We would work closely with the group to make sure the location that is selected won't cause any harm to people or be damaged. We want to make sure of the location so the snowplows don't take it out or it gets buried in the snow dump."
This option came out of the questions Coun. Tony Mintoff put forward after Leitch had presented his report to council committee.
"I realize this is a very small amount of money to dedicate to this initiative," Mintoff said, referring to the $440 that the township would have to spend if it were to assume responsibility by allowing the library on municipal property. "I would see it more effective in a community that doesn't have any library access."
Furthermore, he said if a property owner wants to put it up on his or her own property, he couldn't see a problem with that.
"But I'm having a hard time thinking we should be involved in this initiative when we have three well-resourced libraries at a fairly expensive cost to the municipality," said Mintoff, referring to the $185,000 in expenses towards subsidizing library memberships for residents.
The township currently has two existing Little Free Library locations, one at 100 Tall Pines Dr., and the other at 959 Marshall Rd., however both those are on private property.
Coun. Cindy Hastings suggested that the municipality could do a six-month trial run on municipal property and see how things work out, but Mayor George Cornell recommended that information in the report be shared with the Bluewater Dunes Ratepayers Association.
"If we equip the Bluewater Ratepayers Association, would that give them enough to just go forward on their own as per the other locations of the municipality and see what the feedback is from the association?"
"I'm very supportive of the initiative," said Cornell. "I think it is a different resource in terms of reading material for the community as compared to our formal libraries. We will be open to feedback from the association through public works."
The association could not be reached for comment.
