Curbside Drop Box Construction on Parking Lot Begins October 26
There is some exciting construction news about the Troy Public Library.
Beginning October 26, work will begin on installing curbside drop boxes for the Library. This project will be done in stages over the next several months. When completed next Summer, something that our patrons have been demanding for a while - the ease of returning your items without having to park and leave your car - will become a reality.
The first stage of this project will be to change the west Library parking lot to accommodate the new flow of traffic. This means that the west Library parking lot will be closed from Monday, October 26, through Wednesday, November 4. The entire, larger east Library parking lot will remain open.
We apologize, in advance, for this inconvenience, but we are pleased that we will finally be able to offer this highly demanded service to Library users.
(Photo: c.a.muller)
I highly disagree with the plan to build a drop box. It is a great day when we have to walk to the drop box; we burn a few dozen calories in the process. Has no one realized that a drive-by dropbox, coupled with the Starbucks we drink each morn, plus the Dunkin doughnut we are eating as we drop off our books, equates to fatter waistlines and thinner wallets?
I'd like to think that people would be a lot smarter. Unfortunately we are not.
I won't go into a driving diatribe against the drop box, but I'd just like my fellow Americans, and my fellow Trojans, to reconsider this drop box idea. We as consumers of the library service can pay with our checkbooks and our tax money. Let's agreeably disagree with a plan to make us fatter than we already are, and instead opt to walk off our excess baggage. Thus spake the bunny.
Thank you all for listening. It's great living in a democracy.
Seriously, a nice convenience of adding a curbside dropbox is thought of as lazy? That just shows ignorance.
Let's consider the purpose of the current after-hours dropbox:
It's used afterhours when the library is not open
Laziness aside, let's consider how to make this better. Adding a curbside dropbox adds:
I'm sure if you spend a few extra minutes and think about the benefits instead of jumping to an unbias conclusion that it will promote laziness that even more benefits can be thought of.
In fact, I praise the library for doing this and only hope that it was accomplished years ago. I can only hope that this enhancement is the start of future improvements to the library and in turn allows further accessibility to education and learning for Troy Citizens.
You provided a great reply to "Snowball the bunny". I just wish they had THE BOX ready for this coming winter. Safety is more and more becoming an issue in and around Troy and this is one upgrade that will be greatly appreciated.
Not lazy - just physically challenged - and i do not go to Starbucks. We will leave more parking spaces for people like you. Oh, do you park at the far end of the lot and briskly walk to the library??
Am I reading the announcement correctly? Why is it going to take until next summer for the drop box to be operational? We need it for the winter!
The drive-up drop box is a great idea, but I'm terribly confused by something. We have new Polaris computer software that came with a $450k pricetag. We were told it would save money, and although I'm skeptical about that, I haven't seen the numbers, so I'm reserving judgement. Now, we have our new dropbox going in, and there is no way that will save anyone anything except a few steps. All the while, the City Council is telling us that the city is so broke that it is entertaining closing the community center and the library (with it's new computer system and drive-up drop box). Can someone explain this?
Thanks for your question! I appreciate the opportunity to answer. First things first: Polaris. To make a long story short, TPL was paying $207,000/year to the Suburban Library Cooperative to be part of the shared system. This $207,000 represented almost one third of the total cost of the entire system, which at the time was shared by 20 libraries (now 19, since TPL moved to Polaris). This year, we are paying Polaris $90,000. There are some other associated costs and reductions, but this gives you the basic numbers in a nutshell. I am happy to provide further details if you would like to email me directly at c.russ@troymi.gov.
A drive up materials return has been far and away the most frequently requested service of the Library. I've been discussing the possibility of implementing this service with city administration for at least 18 months. When the Library's budget was being worked on in December 2008-January 2009, I requested to set aside funds in the capital budget for drive up drop boxes for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2009. This request was approved, and those funds were set aside.
The item came before the Troy City Council, as far as the approval of the parking lot work to be done (approximately $25,000), on September 28, 2009, and was approved unanimously by the Council. I was quite prepared to be told that the project needed to be postponed, but as that did not happen, I choose to look upon that as a hopeful sign for the Library's future. While there have been and continue to be many discussions about the future of the city and the Library, I think it is very important that the Library staff and I continue to be as responsive as possible to patron requests, as much as resources will allow.
Ms. Russ, thank you so much for answering this. I know the drop box has been generating a lot of buzz, some positive and some not, so I appreciate that you addressed the inquiry directly. We are all dealing with the challenges of a difficult economy, and I hope the City Manager and City Council members realize just how fortunate they are to have someone as professional and accessible as you obviously are, especially given the current situation with the city budget. I hope that they also keep in mind just how necessary a resource the library is to the city and make their budgetary decisions accordingly. I am sure it is not easy to be in your position given the current situation, but it is clear that you are dedicated to providing the excellent customer service that Troy residents have come to expect from our library, and for that, I sincerely thank you! We really appreciate you and the staff - keep up the excellent work!
Does the $25000 figure include the entire project or are the book drops (as well as other needed parts) themselves an additional expense? What will be covering the books from the elements on their trip to the inside and is it included in the $25000?
Thanks for bringing this back. It was available years ago and it will be great to have it again.
YEAH!!!! Thank you for implementing this service for patrons. We so appreciate you!
Please post a drawing of how this will look when the project is finished. Thanks!
Great idea. The plan is below.
The current construction is reducing the entrance and exit lanes of the west parking lot from two-way to one-way. Drivers will enter the lot using the south lane, closest to the Library building. That is where the curbside return boxes will be located. After dropping off material, the driver will turn right and exit the lot using the north lane.
Let me know if you have additional questions.
This will be so nice when I am in a hurry.
This is a great idea. Can you tell us the date the drop off will be available?
This project is being done in stages. The first stage was to reconstruct the parking lot, and to make sure that the traffic flow made sense. The next stage, to install a canopy over the walkway and the boxes themselves, will be completed next spring, due to the upcoming winter weather. The entire project should be completed then.