26-05-2025
Temporary Essex County library branch to open this summer after mysterious smell closure
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The library branch within the small southwestern Ontario community of Stoney Point is getting a temporary location. It's expected to be up and running in late June or early July, according to Lakeshore municipal staff.
Council recently approved the $80,000 mobile unit, equipped with a bathroom, to be housed in the parking lot of the former Stoney Point Tavern. That land was purchased by the municipality two years ago.
The community is about a 40-minute drive east of Windsor.
In late April, the branch was closed for an indefinite period so that a mysterious smell plaguing the library over the past year could be investigated, according to Essex County's top librarian, Adam Craig.
The branch serving the Lake St. Clair community had only been open for two years and was a semi-permanent option, with a long-term library space undecided.
Since last spring, that facility was plagued by a funny smell, prompting several rounds of closures and air quality testing.
"What's really bizarre about the whole thing is it's never really been consistent," Craig previously told CBC News.
Both staff and library-goers have reported the scent and accompanying irritation, but each time the air quality testing came back with no problems.
Permanent branch possible: councillor
Ward 6 Lakeshore Coun. Larissa Vogler says the branch serves more than 2,000 residents, including Lighthouse Cove and people who head to area beaches. The next closest library is about an eight-minute drive to the community of Comber.
Vogler says residents are "certainly frustrated," and she shares their frustration, saying libraries are more than just books — offering "essential services" to small communities that people might not be able to get elsewhere.
"Whether a child needs to complete a report on a computer ... It's a gathering site," she said. "I know that residents have felt the absence of those amenities and those services and are very eager to see them come back."
According to Vogler, it was important for Lakeshore to get a temporary rental in place ahead of the summer.
"The soccer season is approaching. There's going to be a lot of kids in our park. We want to make sure that they can access that library before or after soccer or [that] mom can bring the little ones into that space while the bigger ones are playing."
Vogler says it's council's intention to develop a community hub with a permanent library.
"Some steps have been taken, and additional conversations are being had, and there is a report coming to council in the coming months, which I think will give residents a little bit more detail about what the options might be there, and I think we should all be very excited about the future."
Safe space?
Laura Wilkinson welcomes the temporary library hub in Stoney Point.
The president of CUPE Local 2318, which represents Essex County library workers, says she's been advocating for a long-term solution that will keep workers and the public safe in a space she calls "very important" to the community.
"It makes sense to use [municipal] reserve funds for a situation like this, where an extraordinary step needs to be taken because of a contamination issue," she said.
"We're looking forward to moving the books and materials into the new, temporary facility while the municipality and library board figure out a long-term solution."
The union says only one employee works in the branch, splitting time between Stoney Point and another location. Before it closed, the branch was open for 18 hours per week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Frank Jeney is the municipality's corporate leader of community health and safety.
He says the project to get a temporary library up and running has been prioritized "to ensure they can access the library branch as soon as possible."
It remains unclear how long testing of the original mobile unit will last.
