Council delays decision on replacement of beloved mobile book ‘Fred’

by

The untimely death of Fred, the Windsor Public Library’s beloved mobile book, has put the city in a $ 600,000 dilemma.

Acquired for $ 15,000 at a low offer about five years ago, Fred delivered thousands of supplies to senior centers, summer camps, parks, and other places where people had limited access to normal library branches before him. ” died “on Lauzon Parkway about a year. It was when its shaft broke for the third time, Kitty Pope, WPL CEO, said Monday during city of Windsor budget deliberations. The WPL board was asking that $ 600,000 in library reserve funds be used toward the purchase of a new personalized book mobile. But several councilors on Monday asked that the money be put into a fund to help pay for a new central library in the city center.

The issue was postponed until next week so the council could get more information.

“I still get a lot of grief cards from kids missing Fred and wondering when Fred 2 will be back on the road,” Pope told councilors Monday. “We cover the city quite consistently.”

Fred was a 2005 custom built GMC mobile bookstore with over 100,000 miles when it was purchased.

“After four years, everyone knows who Fred is,” Pope said, and said the mobile library program was very successful.

She said Fred was particularly helpful in serving areas like District 9 in South Windsor, which is one of the areas in Windsor without a library branch. Ward 9 Coun. Kieran McKenzie said that for his neighborhood, the mobile library replaced both a library and a community center. “This is it,” he said. “If we choose to relocate these funds, it is a direct cut in services.”

Reference-windsorstar.com

Leave a Comment