By Staff
Residents of Silver Creek Township have a choice for library service.
A "no" vote by Silver Creek Township residents on Tuesday, July 8, means a "go" vote for the Dowagiac District Library Study Committee (DDLSC) effort to establish a new Dowagiac District Library.
According to Bob Schuur, Dowagiac City Council member and DDLSC member, efforts to form a new district library can only be successful if voters in Silver Creek Township turn down a proposal to join Cass District Library and levy .75 mill.
The DDLSC, a committee comprised of residents of the City of Dowagiac, Wayne Township and the Dowagiac Union Schools, is close to presenting agreements to their respective municipalities that would officially create the Dowagiac District Library.
Once formed, the library board is expected to consist of two members appointed by both Wayne Township and the City of Dowagiac and three members appointed by the school district.
The DDLSC is recommending that one or more of the school board appointments be Silver Creek Township residents.
The agreement will also provide an opportunity to expand the participating members of the Dowagiac District Library in the future to include Silver Creek Township if it desires to join.
Dowagiac Public Library currently serves the City of Dowagiac, Wayne Township, most of Silver Creek Township and a portion of Van Buren County's Keeler Township.
Dowagiac District Library proposes to maintain that service area and to continue to allow residents of Silver Creek and Keeler Township to access library services in Dowagiac.
The alternative is for those residents to access library services only from Cass District Library, which is located in Cassopolis.
Dowagiac District Library's most important priority will be to pass a .75-mill levy to establish adequate and stable funding.
That will allow the library to improve its operations and continue its longstanding tradition of providing library service to Dowagiac and surrounding townships.
A "no" vote by Silver Creek residents on July 8 will help to insure that the long tradition of library service close to home continues in Dowagiac," Schuur said.