By Sarah Cormier
C & G Staff Writer

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — It’s finally come together like a perfectly written storybook ending, and Harrison Township resident Marge Swiatkowski couldn’t be happier.

With tears in her eyes and big smile on her face, Swiatkowski, along with other local officials, officially opened the all-volunteer Harrison Township Public Library with a special ceremony and ribbon-cutting event held on Oct. 24.

Several local politicians spoke at the event: state Rep. Sarah Roberts, D-St. Clair Shores; County Commissioner Dana Camphous-Peterson, District-18; and U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township. Several members of the Harrison Township Board of Trustees were also part of the activities.

A crowd of volunteers and interested families filled up the Beaufait Addition — where the new library is located at 38151 L’Anse Creuse — and listened to different speakers, watched a ribbon cutting, and best of all, could see what the new library has to offer.

Many residents have been trying to get a library in Harrison Township for quite some time. A bond proposal on the 2004 ballot asking residents to fund a library failed by about 800 votes, said Swiatkowski.

“I just couldn’t get it out of my mind it just had to happen,” she said. “Everything fell into place this time. It was absolutely like it was meant to be.” 

According to Swiatkowski, the Harrison Township Public Library boasts about 32,000 books — including an extensive children’s section — plus DVDs, audio books and four computers for research. The items were garnered by Swiatkowski and other volunteers though the Macomb County Library, which was turned into a research facility by Wayne State University.

Swiatkowski first learned that the books were available in July 2008 and up until early this year had been working with the Macomb County Library to get the books to Harrison Township. Since around March 2009, Swiatkowski and several others have been working tirelessly to put the library together.

Jim Bilen, who has lived in Harrison Township since 1970, said that a group trying to get a library started first formed in May 1977.

“We couldn’t get enough signatures to get it on the ballot,” he said, adding that the group never gave up.

“To see this happen today and the opportunity to work with so many wonderful people is a special reward,” he said.

“We have never lived in a community that did not have a library, so it was important for me to do it for the children,” agreed Swiatkowski, who, with her husband, lived in Sterling Heights before coming to Harrison Township several years ago. “I just can’t imagine a community without a library.”

Several of the local officials were excited about the opening as well.

“What is happening today is just a vivid demonstration of why we love this community,” said Miller, a resident of Harrison Township, who donated 1,000 books from the Library of Congress to the facility.

Roberts also donated pay from her six furlough days, and Camphous-Peterson was able to convince Baker College to donate the four computers at the facility.

“I feel it’s very important because with the lack of school funding that’s taking place right now and with the schools closing pretty much within a 15- to 20-minute time period after that last bell, that the children have somewhere to go … and our volunteers here are very eager to help those students get through their academic needs,” said Camphous-Peterson.

Township Supervisor Anthony Forlini was also at the event, happy to welcome a new addition to the municipality. 

“There’s a lot of reasons for a library, and we’re very fortunate that now Harrison Township has one,” he said.

Hours for the Harrison Township Public Library will be from noon to 6 p.m. on Mondays, from noon to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

For more information, call the Harrison Township Public Library at (586) 329-1261.

You can reach Staff Writer Sarah Cormier at scormier@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1095.