The Windsor Public Library Board is asking Windsor City Council approve funding to begin the process of buying a brand new bus for a bookmobile.
The Library Board approved the recommendation to buy a new bus after working with city administration to explore options for a bookmobile, including buying a used bus.
During 2022 Budget deliberations, City Council was asked to direct $600,000 in surplus funding to help the Windsor Public Library buy a new bookmobile.
But some members of Council questioned use of the funds and the need for a brand new bus, sending item back to have other options explored and considered.
Kitty Pope, Chief Executive Officer of Windsor Public Library, says they have spent a lot of time looking for the best option for a bookmobile.
"It's not the mileage, it's the Class 7 weight on the chassis and how over time that simply deteriorates. We felt that the purchase of a new book mobile was the best recommendations and the best recommendations in terms of tax dollars," she says.
A report by library administration states a bookmobile needs to be 28 to 32 feet in length, small enough to get into parking lots but large enough to accommodate the weight of 2,000 books, videos, shelving, technology, 2-3 customers and 1-2 employees.
Pope says buying a used bus for a bookmobile could end up costing the same amount, if not more, due to repairs.
"While that bookmobile is not in service, all those people that have come to rely on library service can't get it. It's like a two-edged sword, we may not be on the road and then there's people who don't have access to library service," she says.
The previous bookmobile, a second hand vehicle known as Fred, is no longer in service due to repair issues.
Pope understands there is 'sticker shock' when it comes to the price for a new bookmobile.
"I knew it was going to be pricey but when you start to look at the actual prices right now, it is expensive, there's no two ways around it, but when you amortize it over 22 to 25 years, it's a little easier to understand," she adds.
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 recommendation will now go back for approval at a future Windsor City Council meeting.