By Cecilia Nasmith

Retired educator Mary Catherine O'Neill recalls something she heard at a library conference – bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities.

She and Centreton Community Centre Committee co-chair Heather Brereton agree that the third criterion applies to community centres and, over the past five years, they have seen that vision take shape in Centreton.

This committee of Alnwick-Haldimand Township Council set about in 2015 to revitalize this underutilized facility on County Road 23 north of Grafton, the former Methodist Episcopal church constructed in 1864, with the library addition that was a 1967 Centennial project and modernizing renovations completed in 2011.

With the support of council, they set a mission statement to ensure that Castleton-area residents of all ages could have access to fitness, social and learning activities.

In fact, they have found that these residents are getting so much more.

A recent Tuesday-morning visit to Deb Leblond's tai chi class offers just one example.

Leblond sets up for each class by bringing a tea tray in from the kitchen. She might welcome as many as 20 or more ladies at the drop-in class, though men are also welcome.

Instead of a registration fee, participants drop donations into a coffee can to support the centre, with a $2 minimum suggested. These days, they are earmarked for a dishwasher for the kitchen. The group is proud of what they have done for the centre to date with their donations, including a water cooler (which they keep stocked), picture frames for some of the historic shots in the hall and a new coffee urn.

Brereton said the group has become quite the little social club. On the tea tray, a beautiful hand-made card (with a Lindt chocolate attached) awaits the arrival of one lady who is celebrating a birthday.

O'Neill is aware of at least two class members who were shut-ins before.

Leblond agreed, citing the case of one who doesn't drive. Since dropping in and joining the group, she has made friends who take her around – and has even joined the Helping Hands group.

She calls what she does sharing tai chi as opposed as instructing, and each session is also a coffee morning. They even take field trips to explore their community (such as a trek to the Grafton Village Inn), and she's hoping to bring in more speakers after a recent much-enjoyed presentation by Hamilton Township author Linda Hutsell-Manning on her new book Fearless and Determined: Two Years Teaching in a One-Room School.

Leblond taught tai chi as part of an autism program in York Region before moving to the community two years ago.

“When I came here and I saw the hall, everyone was so welcoming,” she recalled.

This facility is the only public space in Centreton, where figures from the library show it serves a community of about 2,000 people – though some people come in from larger communities like Cobourg for some of the programming available, like the Men's Shed mental-health group, yoga and boot camp.

Public rentals are part of their services. The spacious kitchen is approved by the health unit, and the washrooms are accessible.

“We had over 3,000 uses last year,” O'Brien said - “that rivals the arena.

“We cost $5,000 to the municipality, which is pretty much what the arena cost.”

“This hall is used every day of the week,” Brereton said.

“And for all age groups,” O'Neill added.

Between the regular uses and the private rentals, they have a pretty strong revenue stream. On top of that, the committee organizes three annual fundraisers – a winter roast-beef dinner and a summer barbecue, followed by a corn roast. All are well received.

Looking ahead to the Feb. 22 roast-beef dinner, she described it as something everyone enjoys.

“There's that social time where everyone sits together. Then everyone gets up to eat. Coffee and desserts come out, and people linger,” O'Neill said.

“It's that lingering that is one of the nicest features of the event.”

The Men's Shed members have expanded their regular Thursday morning meetings to add Saturday breakfasts to ensure men of all ages can participate.

The library serves as the Welcome Wagon for the community, so it's great advertising for the hall. It's great for the library too, O'Neill pointed out, because any library programming that draws more than expected response can draw on the hall as auxiliary

“We have continued growth every year for the past five years,” O'Neill said.

“As we focused on users, revenue has continued to grow each year, but our focus has been on service.”

Some of the programs are what she terms give-backs. The young 4H members may or may not have the means to donate for the use of the hall, but they give back by taking an active part in decorating the hall for Christmas.

The co-chairs were speaking in the kitchen, over the din of happy conversation in the main hall as the tai chi ladies enjoyed their tea, punctuated by a burst of applause – perhaps to signal that the birthday girl was being recognized – before quiet music comes on and the tai chi begins.

“It shows the sense of community that has developed here in recent years,” O'Neill said of the medley of sounds.

“I see it in this group – they're all like best friends,” Brereton said.

“I hadn't been around for about five weeks at one point and, when I came back, I noticed a difference in their movement and balance,” O'Neill said.

Plans for 2020 will focus more on the arts, she stated.

“We are looking at putting up a rotating display for local artists, maybe a meet-the-artist event when they put it up.

“Our committee is always looking for where is the next step.”

They see signs of success outside the centre too, with council having given them two awards, not to mention one from Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini.

Soon they expect a visit from a new township staffer, program co-ordinator Jennifer Steen, and look forward to showing her around.

“We can address some of the issues such as seniors needing help putting tables up and down and some of the day-to-day things to make the whole process run more smoothly,” O'Neill said.

If not for the centre, she said, there would be no public space in Centreton and the results could be more than just a loss of recreational opportunities.

“Rural isolation is a huge, huge concern. This is a health-and-well-being facility, but number-one, I think, is the social connections,” she said.

She has seen this concern recognized in Britain, where they officially have a Minister of Loneliness.

O'Neill was happy to learn that Steen has a library background. With her own education background and the variety of skills and abilities her committee has in a variety of areas, the future seems promising.

And Steen should find the library of particular interest. On this morning, township library chief executive officer Elaine Skinner is in the Centreton branch attending to business.

Skinner said all three branches – Roseneath and Grafton as well as Centreton – are pretty busy. An Ontario Early Years Centre shares the space with the Grafton branch, and the Roseneath one is just across the parking lot from Roseneath Centennial Public School (and sees much more use from the students now that the school's library has been dismantled).

The Centreton hall is an efficient set-up (which is why her office is there). A number of the bookcases are on wheels so they can be moved out of the way for programming – and, of course, the hall is just next door.

They're always trying new things to get people into the library, Skinner said.

A reading group for the kids is called Get Off The Bus. There's the summer reading program and even March-break programming. With Valentine's Day programming in mind, she has three dozen cookies in her freezer. Special guests have included a vet, an author and Santa Claus. And you'd have to go far to find a better haunted library at Halloween (with about 150 visitors each year).

“Our circulation is at the provincial average,” O'Neill said.

“The programming is below, but we have seen dramatic progress through 2019.”

While a number of library patrons are pursuing their education through the Ontario North connection in Roseneath, Centreton patrons can get language instruction (in about 270 languages) through their Mango program. And while Watton Employment Services regularly visits Roseneath, they have also done a pop-up event in Centreton.

“We have to start being creative and thinking outside the box. We are looking at a lot of different theories like partnering with the horticultural society for a gardening series,” Skinner said.

This is tricky, when the library has no money in the programming budget. It only gets done because of the volunteer efforts of staff and community members.

O'Neill has heard libraries called the footprint of the community.

“We are the only thing that is across all our community and working directly with people, and we are seeing more people and have more relationships with people throughout the community than any other agency,” O'Neill pointed out.

“In many cases, we are the only people they see,” Skinner said.

“There are times when you know the conversation you are having – other than the check-out person at the grocery store – may be all there is,” O'Neill said.

For some of the older patrons who get a medical diagnosis, the doctor says research it at the library and not on-line. Sometimes their first stop after the doctor's office is the library, and sometimes they are still distraught.

“We are like the bartender,” Skinner said.

“We are not just handing out books to people. Sometimes we are just there to listen.

“Sometimes they want to talk to you because they have no one else to talk to. A lot of it is mental health – they need to talk to someone, so they talk to the librarian.”

“There's a lot of municipal research that says librarians are among the most trusted people in the community,” O'Neill said.

“We are the ones sending them to the Alzheimer's Society or to Community Care or where you can get that high-school diploma you need.”

The welcome mat is always out so you can drop in and see things for yourself, and there are a number of upcoming events to bring you to the door:

Feb. 14 – A Valentine's Day story-and-craft drop in at 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 18 – A Garden Talk at 7 p.m., with Ingrid Schumacher discussing how to get ready for the new season (space is limited, so registration is required)

Feb. 22 – That roast-beef supper begins at 5:30 p.m., with tickets available at the library at $20 (or $10 for those under 10).

You are also welcome to join in the regular programming – Tuesday tai chi at 10 a.m., Tuesday songwriters' group for young people at 4 p.m., Take Off Pounds Sensibly meetings Wednesdays at 6 p.m., Men's Shed and yoga Thursdays (at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. respectively), or register for Boot Camp Tuesday evenings and Friday mornings.

And library hours at the Centreton branch are Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m., Wednesdays from 4 to 8 p.m., Thursdays from 2 to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.