GRRL Moves into New Saint Cloud Headquarters
Earlier this month the Great River Regional Library moved into its new headquarters overlooking Lake George in Saint Cloud. The expanded headquarters, housed in the new Saint Cloud Public Library, will benefit Big Lake and other member libraries with an expanded collection of resources available for loan throughout the entire six county system.
The library itself is open and airy, with high ceilings and ample natural lighting. While cool stone and blonde woodwork provide a pleasant atmosphere during the warm summer months, one can’t help but wonder how the space will feel in the cold winter months when Minnesotans more frequently seek refuge in the written word. Nevertheless, this is a common aesthetic adopted by libraries built in recent years.
The first floor of the facility houses the juvenile collection, video resources, and the circulation desk. It is also home to numerous meeting rooms of varying size. These rooms, one of which can host groups approaching two hundred, are available by reservation. Select rooms are equipped with ceiling mounted LCD projectors.
Many patrons, however, will spend most of their time upstairs. This is where the main resource collections, reference desk, periodicals, reading space, study rooms, and computer resources are located. Shelf space here is very ample, with huge capacity for future growth in collection size. PC workstations in the main area are well spaced, and in ample supply. Additional computers are available in a busier but enclosed computer lab.
As a member of the GRRL system, Big Lake residents may use their library cards to borrow books and access the computerized resources of the new library. In fact, if you’ve spent any money in Saint Cloud over the past few years, you’ve helped to pay for it. A half-cent sales tax in Saint Cloud and surrounding communities helped provide funds for the 118,000 sq. ft. facility.
Hours of operation for the new Saint Cloud Public Library, located at 1300 W. St. Germain, are available at www.griver.org.
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More Opposition to Proposed Race Track
I am writing to you today to express my deep dismay and vociferous objection to this proposed racetrack. BIG LAKE RESIDENTS DO NOT WANT A RACETRACK. Big Lake residents did not seek this project, and I do not know a single friend, relative, colleague, or neighbor who supports this proposed racetrack. I do not know anyone who is even “neutral” about the prospect; NO ONE wants this project to come to fruition in Big Lake.
The residents of Big Lake live here by choice, because of the quiet, peaceful nature of the area. There are NO sound barriers that will effectively deaden the sound from this monstrously large project. Comparing the racetrack environment to “The State Fair” (the developer’s own words) is not an accurate comparison. The Minnesota State Fair is 10 days in length. The racetrack would be there 24/7/365. It will seldom be silent, and we, the residents of Big Lake, will only get away from it by leaving our homes and our community. (Which won’t be easy, due to the expected heavy increase in traffic. And by the way, we don’t have adequate highway infrastructure to support this, either.)
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