Minnedosa library reopens after eight months

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This article was published 04/03/2021 (1886 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Following a devastating flood in late June, the Minnedosa Regional Library finally reopened its doors to the public on Tuesday morning.

Assistant librarian Lisa Bilcowski told the Sun that it was really exciting to see all the local book lovers drop by for the first time in eight months, especially after witnessing the inside of the building get immersed in several centimetres of water due to a severe rainstorm.

“There’s been a whole lot of emotions, to be honest with you,” said Bilcowski on Tuesday afternoon. “I have a real passion for the library, I love working here, so to see the destruction when it first started was pretty tough.”

Outside of welcoming everyone back, Minnedosa Regional Library board chair Janice Burnside revealed that Tuesday’s reopening also served as a great opportunity to highlight all the work they’ve put into the building since June.

Not only was a team of volunteers tasked with initially draining the library and rescuing its inventory, but local contractors were then brought in to replace the carpeting, insulation and drywall.

As a result, Burnside said the Minnedosa Regional Library now presents a much more revitalized look, with a fresh coat of paint and some new features that will hopefully mitigate any flood damage they encounter in the future.

“We didn’t put carpet back in,” she said, “We put in vinyl planks just to make it easier for cleaning.”

Outside of all the hard work that has been going on behind the scenes, Burnside understands that this eight-month hiatus has been tough on the community, especially at a time when everyone is on lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was very difficult because everybody had to stay home and yet they didn’t have books to read,” she said. “For myself, I had to pull old favourites off my own shelf and re-read and swap books with friends.”

Thankfully, throughout this time, Bilcowski said nearby libraries in Brandon and Neepawa have helped fill the void, offering their various resources and services to Minnedosans for free.

However, the assistant librarian still thinks it is important for the town to carve out its own space for local families and book lovers in general.

“We are definitely a central hub in our community,” said Bilcowski. “We offer a lot of services that people were without for a great deal of time.”

That being said, Burnside admits some of the library’s usual services aren’t available right now.

Not only are they waiting for COVID restrictions to loosen up before re-introducing children’s storytime and LEGO club, but the on-site computers still have to be set up.

“(Bell) MTS still has to get everything back up and running because all the wiring and that was damaged by the water,” she said. “So we’re still waiting for a couple of parts.”

But until then, Burnside invites all Westman residents to check out the new and improved Minnedosa Regional Library, provided that they take note of the building’s modified hours and abide by the current COVID restrictions that has capacity at 20 people.

“The board appreciated the patience of the community in the long haul it’s been since July,” she said. “We’re just thrilled to be up and running again.”

The Minnedosa Regional Library is currently open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday and is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

According to its official website, the Minnedosa Regional Library has been serving the local community for more than 40 years.

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