Windsor City Council is being asked to direct $600,000 in surplus funding to help the Windsor Public Library buy a new book mobile.
The surplus funding would come from the Library Facility Implementation Plan, which contains unspent funding left over following the building of the Chisholm Branch, the renovation of the Sandwich Fire Hall into the Muir Branch and the expansion of the Budimir Branch.
The funding issue was on the agenda during 2022 budget deliberations but a decision was deferred one week, until the Dec. 20 meeting, to allow some members of council to review previous reports on the impact of the book mobile.
Ward 3 Windsor City Councillor Rino Bortolin, who's also chair of the Windsor Public Library Board of Directors, says they bought the original book mobile very cheap to test the concept and it was very successful.
Bortolin says he knows it sounds like a lot of money but a bus can cost roughly $700,000.
"When you look at the book mobile and how it's been able to pivot in the community and actually be a great outreach tool, it's serviced the needs of communities that are under serviced," he says. "Ward 9 has no library, has no community centre, but they've been able to go to long-term care homes and parks."
During the budget deliberations, some members of council wondered if the money should be directed to a fund to help pay for a new Central Library Branch in downtown Windsor.
Bortolin says the board has already taken steps to create a reserve fund.
"We've already put away over $1-million for that project. Obviously it will be a large project, anywhere probably from $25-million and up. Those numbers will be coming in and we will be looking to the federal and provincial governments for help," he says.
Bortolin says the library board was unanimous in its support for funding another book mobile.
"Seeing the engagement numbers, seeing the number of new library cards issued, the books and the number of pieces taken off the book mobile when it was at different community centres and parks, you really start to understand the value of it. It acts almost as its own tiny branch," he adds.
According to a report going to Council, between 2016 and 2020, the bookmobile ‘FRED’ made over 4,000 stops annually across Windsor in parks, senior residences, housing developments and to home schoolers. However, after a third breakdown, the mechanics deemed the 2005 GMC C6500 truck unrepairable and it was permanently taken off the road.
Windsor City Council meets at 1 p.m. Monday.