CAMANO ISLAND – As homes continue to pop up on remote Camano Island, turning a once pastoral place into a bedroom community, the island will soon have an amenity found in towns around the world: a library.
Sno-Isle Libraries plans to open its pilot branch on Camano Island later this year. Sno-Isle intends to hire staff, rent a storefront space and fill it with books, DVDs and computers, library spokeswoman Mary Kelly said.
The project likely will last between three and six years, she said. Sno-Isle then will decide whether to close the library or ask voters to pass bonds to build a permanent facility, she said.
The library is expected to cost $300,000 for the first year. The money will come from the library district operating budget, which is funded through tax money paid by people living in unincorporated areas of Snohomish and Island counties, as well as those living in towns with Sno-Isle libraries.
“I think this is one of the best pieces of news I’ve heard for Camano since Island Transit linked up the bus service from Terry’s Corner to Everett and Mount Vernon,” said Island County Commissioner and Camano Island resident John Dean. “Camano Island has always been a growing bedroom community, so there’s always been kind of a lack of a center, a lack of a communal gathering place.”
Camano Island residents now must drive to Stanwood if they want to borrow a book or use a library computer. For those living on the south end of the island, the drive can easily take 45 minutes.
David Stroble visits the Stanwood Library twice a week to exchange books and browse the DVD selection. He said the trip from his Camano Island home takes half an hour each way.
“I’m personally pretty excited about the library on the island,” said Stroble, a computer systems analyst for Snohomish County. “It’s just one more step in the maturity process of Camano Island. Now if we could just get a post office, we’d all be happy!”
Sno-Isle is looking for a conveniently located space to rent on the island, Kelly said. That doesn’t necessarily mean a centrally located building, she said. Sno-Isle envisions a storefront that’s a couple thousand square feet, which would be comparable to the Brier and Clinton libraries.
The library system also plans to form a community advisory board that would help determine everything from the library’s hours to its materials. The library probably will be open around 40 hours a week, including some evenings and weekends, Kelly said.
The Sno-Isle Board of Trustees decided to try a pilot program after hearing from islanders who wanted a library. Sno-Isle held meetings on the island last year and decided a temporary library was the best way to go.
Library Trustee Jacquelyn DeFazio said she thinks the library will foster a sense of community that has been lacking on Camano Island.
“One of the things our library mission says is we want to be kind of a living room for the community,” said the Camano Island resident. “And that’s what I hope we see here – a place for the community to gather and not only get information, but also share it and participate in a communal activity.”
Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.
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