September 1, 2021
Adjusting to the times
Around Town
Mosaics Fine Art Festival returns to St. Charles. Pg. 4 St. Charles County paramedics set ‘Gold’ standard in cardiac and stroke care. Pg 4
Business i3 Broadband and Holiday Inn Express & Suites St. Peters celebrate grand openings. Pg 6 CREC Board of Directors and CoBank to award four grants. Pg. 7
Flip for Features
Submitted photos Beginning Sept.7, there will be a change in operating hours at most St. Charles City-County Library branches. The new hours will reflect expanded weeknight hours at some branches and Sunday closures at several branches.
St. Charles City-County Library makes strategic changes to its operating hours to offset rising expenses and funding challenges By Brett Auten Strategic decision making has led the St. Charles City-County Library to adjust its operation hours. Due to increases in the costs of materials and operating expenses, the administration and board of trustees eliminated Sunday hours at some branches. Also, data showed that the St. Charles City-County Library has the lowest per capita revenue of all peer libraries in the state, yet the library is open more hours per location than all but one. So, beginning Sept. 7 there will be a
change in operating hours at most library branches. The new hours – which fall into line with many library systems including St. Louis Public and St. Louis County libraries - will reflect expanded weeknight hours at some branches and Sunday closures at several branches. “This might not be a forever thing but it is the smartest way to go in utilizing tax payer dollars,” Lori Beth Crawford, Chief Communications and Engagement Officer, said. “We want to keep operations costs as smart as possible.” After reviewing branch usage statistics
and a pattern of increased use of electronic materials by customers, it was determined that the O’Fallon’s Deer Run Branch, St. Charles’ Kisker Road and McClay Branches, the new Wentzville Cliff View Branch, and the Library Express at WingHaven will maintain their current hours Monday through Saturday, but will be closed on Sundays. Wentzville’s Corporate Parkway Branch, St. Charles’ Kathryn Linnemann Branch, O’Fallon’s Middendorf-Kredell Branch, and See ‘LIBRARY’ page 2
Serving St. Louis, St. Charles and Lincoln Counties | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol.23 No. 35 | 636-379-1775
Recipe, Movie & Sudoku. Pg. F-1 CLASSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3 Moore On Life, Yeggs & Crossword. Pg. F-4
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