Susie and Joan Stephenson of Port Joli visit the Bookmobile recently at its stop in Port Mouton. (Rick Conrad)

It’s the last one in Nova Scotia. And it’s still motoring along the South Shore.

Each week, the Bookmobile brings books, DVDs and other materials to about 15 communities in Lunenburg and Queens counties, from Chester to Caledonia.

A mobile library has been operating on the South Shore since the 1970s.

Other library systems around Nova Scotia have stopped the service. The Cape Breton Regional Library had the only other one and it retired its Bookmobile in November 2024.

So now, the South Shore has the only remaining Bookmobile in the province. And it shows no signs of slowing down.

Ashley Nunn-Smith is the CEO and chief librarian of South Shore Public Libraries.

“Our Bookmobile has been on the road for 50 years. But it’s much beloved, it’s very much a fabric of the community. For example, a few weeks ago, we had someone bring the books out to Caledonia in their van because the Bookmobile was having some mechanical issues and not only did people come out to pick up their items, but they had almost like a tailgate party. They just hung around the back of the van and chatted with their neighbours. There was nothing keeping them there other than that sense of community.

“It’s not just about the books, although that’s wonderful to drive books out to people. It’s really about a sense of community.”

Joan Stephenson of Port Joli was at a recent Bookmobile stop at Coastal Queens Place in Port Mouton. Stephenson and her daughter Susie are some of the regular patrons the Bookmobile serves every three weeks at this location. It visits certain communities on a weekly basis, while others are on a tri-weekly schedule.

“We remember when we had to fight to get a Bookmobile because the county didn’t want it,” Stephenson says. “And instead they put streetlights on our road and fought the Bookmobile, and we said it’s a different kind of enlightenment.”

In 2021, the library put a new custom-built Bookmobile on the road at a cost of about $500,000, with an accessibility lift, Wi-fi and seven electrical outlets where people can charge their devices.

Last year, the mobile service had an average of 1,100 monthly visitors who checked out 3,000 items, accounting for about 15 per cent of the library’s overall visits and circulation. Fuel and maintenance take up about two per cent of the library’s total $1.9-million operating budget.

Nunn-Smith says that because the South Shore has fewer physical library locations than other library systems around Nova Scotia, having the Bookmobile is essential.

“I think that by having the library on wheels we can bring it to more spaces than we would be able to reach with brick and mortar locations. We’re able to reach more communities that we wouldn’t be able to otherwise. We reach Port Mouton and Mill Village. Those places, it wouldn’t be feasible to operate a library branch, and so we’re able to bring the library to them.”

Susie Stephenson says she remembers the anticipation as a kid waiting for the Bookmobile to visit, a feeling she still has years later.

“When we lived in Broad River, we all went and we’d come home with clothes baskets full of books. The eight of us would just sit around and read. And you’d do it until you had to eat.

“It makes it accessible and it keeps me in reading material. And it keeps me interested and not depressed. I can sit and read a book and look at it. … I’ll take two or three bags lots of times.”

Her mother Joan says it’s something she looks forward to every three weeks.

“I can’t be away too long. My husband’s disabled. So it’s fun to come here. And the wonderful thing is the people who drive and work on the Bookmobile over all these years we’ve had it have always become our friends. They know what you’re looking for and we laugh. They want to know how your trip was or how your surgery was. They become friends.

“We love it. We love the Bookmobile. I’m an old lady and hopefully it will outlive me.”

The Bookmobile visits Caledonia every Saturday from 10 a.m to noon in the NSLC parking lot. It will be back in Mill Village at the fire hall on April 4 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and in Port Mouton at Coastal Queens Place on April 4 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

You can find the schedule for the Bookmobile on the South Shore Public Libraries website.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Graffiti on Burgess Rd breakwater. Photo Darlene Norman

Region of Queens will spend $5,000 to clean graffiti in Port Mouton.

For the last year and a half residents have complained about offensive graffiti being posted on a breakwater and surrounding rocks at the end of Burgess Rd.

The complaint landed on the council floor at the last meeting where Mayor Darlene Norman shared photos she had taken with the rest of council.

Norman says council agreed with the representative for that area, Councillor Kevin Muise, who said that graffiti wouldn’t be tolerated in more populated parts of the Region and his residents should expect the same service.

“Even though that area may not receive as much traffic and eyeballs as land in around Liverpool, Milton, Brooklyn area, or any community, it is an area known by locals who like to go there and look out to sea and it’s our land,” said Norman. “So, we need to be responsible for our land and we need to keep unsavoury comments off our land.”

The abandoned breakwater at the end of Burgess Rd was transferred from the Federal Government to the Region of Queens about 20 years ago because it provides access to water.

At one point in the discussion council contemplated removing the breakwater but Norman says that idea was quickly dismissed as the structure is important in maintaining the integrity of the surrounding land.

“If you were to remove that then you are changing the dynamics of those ocean currents and you would, in effect, be causing significant change to the land on the other side, so, the breakwater stays,” said Norman.

Council has requested that either staff remove the graffiti, in-house, or hire a contractor to complete the work.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

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Region of Queens Administration Building. Photo Ed Halverson

Rezoning of an area to accommodate to construction of co-op housing topped the latest meeting of Region of Queens council.

No one spoke in favour or against the proposed multi-unit co-op development at a public hearing ahead of Tuesday’s council meeting.

Council approved the rezoning to allow the construction in the Lawrence Street/Amherst Street part of Liverpool.

Also receiving council approval was a request from the Medway Head Lighthouse Society to allow liquor to be served at the opening night of their annual art show.

Council then approved the $314,700 + HST purchase of a front-end loader for the Queens solid waste facility. The purchase came in over $70,000 less than the budgeted amount of $385,000 + HST.

Next up was the appointment of Miles Harlow as Fire Inspector for the municipality. Harlow is a building inspector for the Region and will continue in that role as he takes on the responsibilities of fire inspector alongside the municipality’s current sole fire inspector Tim Clattenburg.

In the discussion portion of the meeting, a question was asked during the Council Implementation Report as to what progress is being made to sell off some the Region’s surplus properties.

Planning staff had been tasked with developing a policy for the equitable sale of surplus lands but say there hasn’t been time. They are processing a high number of permits which need to take priority over the policy development.

Next council tasked staff with cleaning up graffiti on municipally owned property in Port Mouton.

The first quarter financial review continues to show high deed transfer tax payments. The deed-transfer tax puts 1.5 percent from the sale of any property in Queens into municipal coffers. Staff had predicted $720,000 in tax revenue for the entire year but has taken in $321,905 in just the first three months of the year, almost half of what they were expecting for all of 2023/24.

Finally, council is looking at installing security cameras in the recreation areas at Queens Place after vandals have been leaving broken glass and graffiti throughout the campus. Staff will explore options and bring a report back to council at the next meeting that will outline possible solutions and costs.

The next council meeting will be held in council chambers on September 12 beginning at 9:00am.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

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Carters Beach public information meeting November 26, 2022. Photo Susan MacLeod

A new plan is in the works that walks the line between protecting the environment and enjoying the shore at Carter’s Beach.

The once hidden gem has become exceedingly popular over the years causing a range of issues for locals.

Parked cars line country roadways making it difficult for emergency vehicles to get through, and the fragile ecosystem is being strained as litter piles up and beach-goers head into the fragile dunes to answer nature’s call due to a lack of washroom facilities.

In recent years, temporary garbage receptacles and port-a-potties have been put in place by the Region of Queens to alleviate stress.

Carter’s Beach is a provincial responsibility and was originally included in the parks and protected areas plan as a nature reserve but is now designated to become a provincial park.

Parks promotion and development officer Sandra Fraser says changing the designation is key moving to forward.

“Having it under the provincial parks program allows for the Department of Natural Resources to support operations there,” said Fraser. “Future plans include providing some basic infrastructure at some key access points so we can manage the usage there and allow for some recreational use while also protecting the ecological values.”

In 2021 the province went through an online consultation process to hear from the public and received over 150 responses.

Officials with Nova Scotia Parks held an open house in late November to present a broad overview of the plan to make Carter’s Beach a provincial park and to answer questions from the community.

Several priorities were identified including conserving sensitive habitats, addressing traffic concerns, providing washroom and waste disposal facilities, installing wayfinding and interpretive signs, and maintaining community partnership.

It was noted that management of the beach should also include establishing sustainable visitation levels.

One of the objectives presented at the meeting was to have vehicle and pedestrian counting equipment installed to track usage at Carter’s Beach.

Fraser says the concept plan also proposed alleviating congestion on Carter’s Beach Road by adding more parking on Port Mouton Rd across from Lake Drive.

“We may keep the small lot that’s there and then add to that and then have a defined path from that parking lot down to the beach.”

Fraser says funding has not yet been secured and plans still need to be finalized before the Carter’s Beach project can go forward.

She says anyone wishing to provide additional feedback can do so by e-mailing the department at: parkinfo@novascotia.ca

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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