A campaign to rename the Puslinch branch of the Wellington County Library in memory of former warden Brad Whitcombe is on hold pending development of a naming policy for county assets.
At the March 26 meeting, county council approved the minutes of the March 11 information, heritage and seniors committee meeting, which included a motion to defer the request to re-name the Puslinch library the “Bradford Whitcombe Library” until a county-owned-asset naming policy has been recommended by the administration, finance and personnel committee and approved by county council.
The proposal was outlined in a letter from Puslinch resident Sandra Solomon and Whitcombe’s spouse Lise Burcher.
The letter states Puslinch residents are still coming to terms with the loss of Whitcombe, who passed away last November, “and many people in the township feel it would be appropriate to recognize Brad’s vision and devotion to the community of Puslinch and the County of Wellington by naming the Puslinch library after him.
“Many in the community feel that this will be a fitting tribute to a longtime mayor of Puslinch Township, and three-time warden of Wellington County, particularly given Brad’s passion for, and championing of the renewal of the county library system that included the restoration of five Carnegie libraries and the overseeing of the construction of several new libraries.”
The letter writers note community members are prepared to cover the cost of signage recognizing the designation if the county agrees to re-name the library.
Palmerston library tender
Also at the March 26 meeting, county council approved the committee’s decision to award the construction contract for the renovations to the Palmerston Carnegie library to Collaborative Structures Limited (CSL) of Cambridge, at their tendered amount of 2,582,571, along with construction management fees of $361,220, not including 13% HST.
A report from Mark Bolzon, county manager of purchasing and risk management services, indicated the contract is within budget, noting “as the construction progresses there is potential for additional savings to be achieved through discussions with the contractor and sub-trades as efficiencies are reviewed.”
During construction a temporary library will be located at 237 Main Street West, just a block away from the Carnegie building.
3D printer in Aboyne
The Aboyne branch has hosted the county library system’s first 3D printer for the last few months, attracting considerable interest from the public and staff.
Branch supervisor Joyce Tenhage describes the level of interest as “phenomenal” with almost 600 patrons stopping to ask questions about the printer.
“While library patrons have read or heard about 3D printers, few have seen them in action,” states a report from chief librarian Murray McCabe.
“A number of staff have developed a significant level of skill with the printer which will soon allow the library to move beyond the demonstration phase and into a hands-on scenario for patrons.”
Retirements
Two library branch supervisors have recently announced their pending retirements.
Henny Derbecker will retire from the county library system after 33 years of service. She started as a programmer at the library and was later hired as the branch supervisor for Clifford. She will retire at the end of April. The branch will host an open house on the afternoon of April 30.
Hillsburgh Branch supervisor Donna Revell has announced her plans to retire in September. Revell has been with the library system for 20 years and along with being the community librarian she is well known as a tireless volunteer in the Erin and Hillsburgh area.
