Spring Valley EDA News

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, July 25, 2025.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy

Spring Valley’s library board of trustees held its midsummer meeting last Thursday, July 17, providing library director Melissa Vander Plas an opportunity to update them on the summer reading program and upcoming activities.

She stated, “We’ve been having a lot of fun with the summer reading program. We’ve had a lot of kids in and out of the library every day, and we have over 600 hours of reading logged by the kids who have turned in their reading logs. We have storytime on Fridays, and this Friday (July 18), Gene and Jeanette (Ramaker) will be bringing their bounce house.” She wrote in addition, “Our summer reading program has been very well received this year, with 125 youth registered. We are doing reading logs this year, and 66 readers have turned in 196 logs – three hours each – for a total of 588 hours as of July 15. We have hosted two storytimes so far, with 15 kids and their parents attending each. Our Wednesday programs have been very well attended, with the Kingsland School-Age Childcare (SACC) bringing about 40 to 45 kids each week. We have hosted The International Owl Center, Dazzling Dave the Yo-Yo Master, Tales by Terry, Brodini the Magician, Rose Oyamot, Tom the Creature Teacher coming next Wednesday, and then our foam party finale planned for July 30. We have also held three dragon movie showings with several families attending — averaging about 17 to 20 at each. Our popup activities have included putting out puzzles, Connect Four game, a paper chain flag and cornhole, with a few more planned for the rest of the summer.”

Vander Plas continued, “I have been contacted by a Master gardener candidate that would like to create a seed library here at the library. She would gather seeds from various vendors, sort them into envelopes and place them in our display case for people to ‘check out.’ She is seeking the help of the Friends of the Library and other volunteers as well. Staff would simply be responsible for opening the display case when someone would want to take some seeds.”

The trustees then perused the preliminary Spring Valley Public Library (SVPL) budget for 2026, observing that it could change according to how the city chooses to align its overall budget – all city staff wages have increased by 3.5 percent in the city’s budget. The library’s 2024 actual budget was $230,143.60, the 2025 budget was $268,419.44, and its proposed 2026 budget is $281,653.94. Currently, building maintenance and staff annual raises and potential staffing increases have been topics of discussion, as the board included funding for painting the library’s interior – a sum and project that may be deferred if necessary — and approved granting Vander Plas and library assistant Jenni Lovejoy their annual pay raises in separate actions before accepting the preliminary budget.

Friends of SVPL president Sandy Sellner-Wee shared about the Friends’ recent activities to support SVPL’s mission, listing that the Friends had sold ice cream at Fins and Films over the past weekend and planned to be part of Wednesdays on Broadway if the weather finally cooperates, will be at Ag Days and also Oktoberfest, as well as the Spring Valley Area Community Foundation’s (SVACF) final Music in the Park concert slated for Bluff Brothers Brewery this Friday, July 25 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friends members have lent a hand wrangling enthusiastic summer reading program crowds and supervised at movie hours. “We’re a small group, but they’re doing an awesome job,” Sellner-Wee said.

The board expressed its heartfelt appreciation to the community for its generosity, beginning with Gene and Jeanette Ramaker’s donations of books and Gene’s volunteerism. The Friends earned their gratitude for “helping with crowd control and crafts on summer reading program days and supervision of the dragon movies,” and area businesses were recognized for their contributions toward the summer reading program – including Racks and Sunshine Foods for monetary donations, the city of Spring Valley, Pizza Place, the Spring Valley Area Community Foundation, Kwik Trip, Valley Lanes, Casey’s, Jem Movie Theatre, Niagara Cave, Stellar 181 Taphouse and Chateau de Chic. Additionally, the board thanked several donors for their monetary gifts totaling $565 to be deposited in the library’s SELCO Foundation savings account for later expenses.

The trustees typically meet on the third Thursday of each month to manage library business, but as is their usual, they will not have an August meeting – the next meeting is Thursday, Sept. 18 at 6:00 p.m. Upcoming library programs include Tom the Creature Teacher this Wednesday, July 23 at 1:30 – bringing his reptiles and amphibians to the library, a movie this Thursday, July 24 at 2:00 – “DragonKeeper,” and the summer reading program finale foam party on Wednesday, July 30. Later, the library will hold a Willomina Art Studio watercolor class on Sept. 23 at 6:00 p.m.

The Spring Valley Public Library is located just off Broadway, on Jefferson Street, behind First National Bank. It is open Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 7:00 p.m., Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the first and third Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For more information, log onto the library’s website at www.springvalley.lib.mn.us, call 507-346-2100, or stop in and have a look around.

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325