MOHAVE COUNTY – Mohave County supervisors rejected a staff-offered compromise Monday, voting instead to fully reopen public libraries. County Manager Sam Elters suggested easing some COVID-19 restrictions to afford greater library access, while committing to transitioning to fully open mode when appropriate.
Elters said staff favors limiting chairs and tables in libraries to discourage people from reading and spending extended periods of time in the facility. He said they support allowing fetching materials rather than letting patrons freely roam libraries.
“The idea of just opening it up where people come and go and use it for reading a book, newspaper or otherwise remains challenging,” Elters said. “That’s what the library is for. We want to open it up so it serves the purpose like it was before the pandemic, and we want to get there. We’re just trying to measure ourselves getting there.”
Supervisor Travis Lingenfelter and each of the supervisors wanted to “get there more” quickly.
“I just feel like this is an example of the way government overcomplicates things. I think they just need to be opened up. If you don’t want to go, or don’t feel comfortable at the library, then don’t go to the library. Or get a curbside book, but don’t ruin it for the kids that are coming back to school…Open it up. No restrictions. Let people individually choose what’s best for themselves and their families.”
Library Director Kathryn Pennell expressed concern that the vast majority of her workforce is not eligible for coronavirus vaccines and fear exposure risk. Dist. 2 Sup. Hildy Angius noted some wrote letters addressing that issue.
“I don’t know how to say this without sounding mean, I guess,” Angius said. “But why are government workers are sort of like this class where we listen to the way they want to tend to have their jobs conducted? No one asks the grocery store worker. No one asks the waitress.”
Dist. 5 supervisor Ron Gould theorized a good number of library patrons will maintain safe distance without being required to do so. Gould said society has been programmed.
“People now are naturally socially distancing themselves,” Gould told board members. “We’ve been conditioned to spread ourselves out. I don’t think we need to tell them to spread themselves out anymore…Now it’s conditioned into them and I’m not sure that’s positive to tell you the truth. I think it makes everybody more standoffish between that and use of masks that you can’t see people’s faces anymore.”
Dist. 4 Sup. Jean Bishop suggested it might be good practice to make hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies available so that patrons can keep things clean during library visits.
Dave Hawkins