By PAULENE POPARAD

Westchester Public Library patrons won’t have to fumble in the dark to find their keys at the Thomas branch west parking lot much longer.

The Library Board voted Thursday to have Ellis Electric install four, 150v sodium vapor dusk-to-dawn lights on the far west side of the Thomas lot in the grassy strip between the parking area and the sidewalk.

The lights are expected to gently illuminate the new overflow Thomas lot on the west side of Third Street as well. Board members said they are sensitive to not causing problems for Thomas neighbors because of the new lighting.

As for the current lighting plan, “What we have now doesn’t seem adequate,” said board member John Corso. WPL Director Phil Baugher said with the lots recently having been sealcoated, they’re darker than ever.

The new lights match the amber-globed Sternberg street lights on the south and east sides of Thomas. Cost for purchase and installation of the four additional lights is $16,370 excluding the unknown cost for NIPSCO to install a new service line and meter.

The Library Board also voted 5-0 with members Neal Mortensen and Karen Nash absent to accept the low proposal of Ultimate Flooring & Supplies of Chesterton at $14,985 to recarpet the Library Service Center meeting room, stairway and lower level.

Also submitting proposals were Duneland Carpet Connection of Chesterton at $16,531 and Village Carpet & Tile of Portage at $15,800. The LSC, a former bank computer operations center, received some upgrades this summer and the carpeting completes the projects.

Baugher reported that while August circulation at both Thomas and Hageman libraries rose by only 2.56 percent over the same month in 2005, year-to-date WPL has boosted circulation by more than 15 percent overall with 264,591 items circulated this year. Baugher said he believes the strong circulation reflects the quality of materials in WPL’s collections.

The library also tracks activity through public service units (PSU) such as each computer login, web page hit, reference question answered, visitor counted or book or DVD circulated. So far this year WPL has logged 619,643 PSUs. WPL has 12,617 registered resident borrowers and 3,432 registered non-township borrowers. The PSUs include activities at the library-operated Westchester Township Historical Museum.

Baugher announced WPL is hosting a free public seminar Sept. 28 from 1-3 p.m. at the LSC to detail its resources for economic and community development using INSPIRE, Indiana’s online virtual library network.

The presentation, in cooperation with the Chesterton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce, is targeted for businesses and non-profit organizations and will demonstrate how INSPIRE, accessed through WPL Internet links, can provide information on investments, business news and information, local business, updated local laws, directories, financial resources, market research, wage and salary data, and business start-ups.

WPL-sponsored family films, foreign and classic films and popular films will be featured October through December. Family Films are screened at 7 p.m. every third Friday at the LSC, 100 W. Indiana Ave. in Chesterton. The film is repeated at 2 p.m. every third Saturday at Hageman Library, 100 Francis St. in Porter.

Oct. 20 and 21 is “Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie”; Nov. 17 and 18 is “Cars”; and Dec. 15 and 16 is “Prancer.” All are rated G. As for the foreign and classic films, these are shown at 7 p.m. on the second Friday at the LSC. Oct. 13 is “Little Shop of Horrors” rated PG-13. Nov. 10 is “Salaam Bombay” and Dec. 8 is “Red River”; both are not rated.

The three popular new-release films, to be shown at 7 p.m. one Saturday each month in the Bertha Wood room at Thomas, 200 W. Indiana Ave., are “The Lake House” Oct. 21; “The Break Up” Nov. 11 and “The DaVinci Code” Dec. 2. The first film is rated PG and the others PG-13.

Posted 9/15/2006