Approved!

Your Voice was Heard.

On Tuesday, December 5th City Council approved this project. Thank You.

---

Good Morning Mr. Mayor and Council Members:

I write to you in order to add my voice to the building wave of supporters who have articulated so broadly and so well all the reasons this project is not only needed but deserved for our community
My contribution will address an obvious requirement that has been only lightly mentioned. I love this building, its rich historic presence. Its beauty nestled on the expanse of land on Hamilton Rd. It’s a graceful site to be sure.
The art gallery which sits on the second floor and has been the host of dozens and dozens of exhibitions over the years. Both local and beyond artists have been fortunate to share their work. Perhaps you are not an art lover and find this space of no value or interest. That’s fine. But that’s not to deny the rest of us the opportunity to take advantage of the cultural significance of the gallery.
But wait. I cannot. Most recently an exhibition of work was on display by a local artist. A man who I had been a flower girl in his wedding 57 years ago. I could not attend. Those stairs are a hazard to me and the gallery is not accessible. My mother cannot access the gallery either and neither could about half the members of the Sarnia Accessibility Advisory Committee. It’s tragically amusing that for 6 years in “advising” the various versions of city council members this municipal public building remains inaccessible to me and hundreds of other residents.
The detailed plan infront of you for inclusion to the capital budget ensures that ALL citizens are included in ALL offerings in Sarnia. The investment in our cultural future is of such importance that our voices are raised in unison. Get it going. Now is the time. Initial investment has been made.
It will become a wonderful legacy project you can all point to with pride and the city’s required accessibility mandate will be met with great thanks by myself and fellow persons with mobility limitations.
Thank you for your service to our community.

Kathleen Stinson, Sarnia ON

---

Mayor and Councillors of Sarnia,
I would hereby like to express my concern about the fact that the Bright’s Grove Library and Art Gallery facility has still not been improved.
As a now retired resident of Sarnia I enjoy visiting the different libraries and art galleries in Sarnia and in Lambton County. When out in Petrolia or Bright’s Grove, I will stop and visit the Library there, which I really enjoy. The staff is great and I love all the available books, magazines and dvd’s. I also enjoy the art gallery upstairs in the Bright’s Grove library, but the stairs are becoming a problem. I have arthritis in my knees. Some of my friends can’t get up that long stairs at all anymore.
Now there is a plan to expand the building, adding a Community room and an accessible art gallery. The plans are all ready for it, it would become a Community Hub. This is so exciting! The community has contributed to the fundraising and will continue to contribute, I am sure.
What is needed now is the decision to get going on this plan. Do not put it off any longer, please.
I know you plan to spend a lot of money on the different arenas for our youth. But please let this expansion in Bright’s Grove get started so that all of the residents, the young and the old, can enjoy this Community Hub!
With thanks for all the work you do for our city,

Catharina Dijkhuizen

Dear Mayor Bradley and Sarnia City Councillors,

I wanted to take the time to contact you about a community matter that means a lot to my family, and I, and other local community members.

The future of Bright's Grove Library and the Gallery in the Grove has reached a critical juncture. Despite having invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in surveys, consultation and architectural drawings, I'm concerned that the City Council is yet to give a green light to a project that would see a new library space with a community room and a relocation of the Gallery to the accessible space held by the library.

Why does this matter to me so much? There are multiple reasons that I would like to share with you with the first going back to when my parents and I first moved to the Sarnia area as former refugees from Vietnam. We were sponsored by the extremely kind people from Sarnia's First Christian Reformed Church on Exmouth Street, and through the community and federal, provincial and local government's support, our first home was on Davis Street downtown. Thus, I still have fond memories of growing up near the Sarnia Library branch where my parents took me so we could borrow books (and toys for myself) so we could learn more about our new country, city and culture. I later continued to make use of other branches when we moved to other areas of Sarnia.

In the past two years, I have returned to the area after decades of working and living overseas as a humanitarian aid and development worker, and have the privilege of calling Bright's Grove home. During our first week of relocating here from the UK, my children and I visited the library to get our new membership cards and explore the offerings. We visit the library at least once weekly, and the children more so as they attend neighbouring Bright's Grove Public School. My daughter loves the children's section and limited selection of books, and we've gotten to know most of the librarians by name. I often notice people using the lone 2 computers or the one comfy looking armchair and wish there was more space as I now work remotely when I'm not travelling and would love to be able to work from the library if there was more space to do so. I've also met and gotten to know a local knitting group that meets there each Tuesday evening because they use the only communal space where my daughter likes to colour. 

My family always keeps abreast of the calendar of events and have noted over the years that other branches benefit from more activities due to the limited space. When I lived abroad, I often took my children to parent and child music activities, started a local writer's group, and enjoyed a cup of tea at one of my libraries' linked cafe. It was a lovely way to spend time with others in the community without always having to spend money.

Thus, we were very excited to learn about the Bright's Grove Library and Community Hub project that would make it more accessible (have you ever tried lugging a child's stroller with you everywhere?) and create more space for meaningful engagement here. I don't buy into the concerns about ruining Faethorne House as I am also a card carrying member of the Canadian National Trust (and formerly, 10 year-member of the English National Trust) to demonstrate my additional commitment to preserving and adapting historic places for current and future generations to enjoy. This expanded space would be extremely beneficial for families and other community members, especially young people in the area, to use as they currently have nowhere else to go except perhaps Tim Horton's (which I also appreciate).

Thus, I sincerely ask you to consider approving the plans for this project to move ahead at the budget meeting on December 5th. Please remember my story of the impacts of the local library on myself as a child refugee, and how much it continues to mean to me decades later...to myself, my children, and future members in the community. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people's ability and will to participate in social learning and activities, so I believe anything that can be done to foster the community spirit and improve mental and holistic well-being (not to mention the disability injustices of not even being able to access the site) should be prioritized.

Thank you for your leadership on this and other matters that affect our lives in Sarnia and Bright's Grove. Please do not hesitate to reach out should any of you have any questions or thoughts. I hope to hear positive news about this project soon!

Sincerely yours,

Cat-Dan Lai-Smith