School

This past week was extremely busy. Writing this research paper, a huge group project, and homework in my other classes. This week I have a couple of tests and the group project will have to be completed. I know that everyone else has the same if not more to do than me so I should stop complaining. I hope that I can just focus for the next couple of weeks and finish off strong this semester. I know that there will be plenty of distractions including the nice weather (hopefully) and working. I start to really work this week so I am going to try to stay ahead so I do not fall behind in my classes. I can't wait until my last final is over . Good luck to the rest of you!

I already talked about the Masters on my last post, but I figured I would talk about it a little more. It was nice to just relax for the most part of yesterday and watch one of the most exciting tournaments in all of golf. I know that I am probably in the minority when I comes to believing that watching golf is exciting. However, this is one tournament that I think even non-golfers would enjoy. If you have not seen what the golf course looks like, then your missing out. It is so nice, not one thing out of place, and everything is green without any bad (brown) spots to be found. It truly is an amazing golf course and hopefully one day, I will have enough money to go there once in my lifetime.

Final Paper

Well, over the past couple days I reworded my thesis around. I decided I liked what I had, but I needed to reword it so my stance was evident. "The Novi library expansion proposal needs to be approved because it will solve the current library's space, resource, and infrastructure problems immediately, and Novi's citizens need to see that these pros outweigh the cons." I think I finally found the right one. This one tells my position and it has focus. During the paper, I am definitely going to present both sides to the issue/proposal, but ultimately the pros will outweigh the cons. Hopefully, it turns out pretty good.

I also hope everyone had a good holiday weekend. It was nice having my relatives come over. I hadn't seen some of them for quite some time so it was great seeing them. Also, I hope everyone had a chance to watch the Master's. I am a huge golfer and this is one of my favorite tournament's of the year.

Second Blog Draft

Well, this weekend I began to start working on my paper. I finished getting all of my sources and I started to write the beginning of the research paper. I am writing about the Novi Library expansion proposal on this November's ballot. In coming up with a thesis, I wanted one that would not be one sided or biased. I wanted one that was general, but it included all sides to the issue. It says: Many of Novi's leaders, including the Library Board, the City Council, and Mayor David Landry are all in favor of this proposal, but the people of Novi are the ones who need to weigh the pros and cons and to make their decision based on the facts. I reason I decided to go with this thesis is because it shows that many of Novi's important figures are pushing for it. This shows that is an important issue in the community. The second part of the thesis (pros and cons) is important because ultimately it is up to the people to make the decision. The power lies in their hands. Throughout the paper I am going to talk about all sides of the issue. I want the people of Novi to know everything there is to know about the issue. Then, after they know all the information, they can make an informed an educated decision.

After I have weighed and explained all the pros and cons in the paper, I too, will make my decision based on the facts. Personally, I want the expanded proposal to happen. I think that they are some many positives and good things that will come out of the expanded library. However, I still need to make this paper as unbiased as possible. This issue has been a constant topic of debate for the last six years, and it will get even hotter as the month of November draws closer.

List of Sources that I am using:
1.) Articles out of the Novi News- November 1st and 15th 2001
2.) Another Article out of the Novi News-March 1st 2007
3.) Letter written by Robert Cutler, the Novi Library Board President, to the City Council and Mayor Landry about the expansion proposal
4.) A Report done by Plante & Moran Corporate Real Estate Service Advisors on the current state of the library
5.) Report of the Facilities Planning Committee to the Novi Library Board-
6.) Report of the Stategic Planning Task Force to the Novi Public Board of Trustees
7.) I have conducted several interviews throughout this entire process
-Robert Cutler-Library Board President
-David Landry-Mayor of Novi
-Mary Ellen Mulcrone- Assistant Library Director
-Kelly Kolchuk-Youth and Teen Services Librarian

Past Week

Over this past week, I have been quite busy. School has been demanding and I hardly have time to relax anymore. I had a bunch of tests and a couple of group projects to work on. Thursday was a nice day-my birthday. It was a good time Friday because I went to Michigan State to celebrate. I did not go to Canada yet because my brother was in Vegas this weekend, and he is the one planning the whole Canada night. On Thursday, I was thinking about how it felt like yesterday when I was in grade school. Looking back on those days. I wish I could go back sometimes. I had nothing to worry about, no responsibilities, and the world felt like it was in my hands. Now I am in college and in a few years I will have to meet the real world head on. Hopefully all of this schoolwork and hard work will help in getting me a bright and successful job.

I have been blogging about the NCAA tourney for the past couple of weeks. Recently, I found out that if Georgetown wins it all, I would come in third place-$190.00. This would have been helpful considering I am broke right now. Unfortunately Georgetown lost to Ohio State on Saturday night. I cannot believe they lost to Ohio State. The Buckeyes should have lost to both Xavier and Tennessee-they are overrated. I know that I am whining, but this game potential cost me a great deal of money. I will be pulling for the Gators to beat the Buckeyes and repeat as National Champions. It's a rematch of the BCS Football game.

Novi Library Proposal

I have decided to do my argumentative essay on the Novi Library Proposal. The proposal will expand the current library of 23,190 square feet to 60,000 square feet, with the option of expanding the library to 90,000 square feet in 2030. The current Novi library was built in 1976 when Novi's population was 22,525, however Novi's current population is over 53,000. Novi's population is estimated to reach 80,000 by 2030. The current library is old, outdated, and way to small. The size of the library is the biggest issue. There was a proposal in 2001 for the library to be expanded, but the people of Novi rejected it. The previous proposal asked for 20 million dollar bond, but the citizens of Novi would had to have paid an annual fee as long as they lived in the city. This year's proposal is asking for a bond between 14 and 16 million, and the citizens will only have to pay an annual fee for twenty years compared to the lifetime fee of before. If you have a house value between 175,000-220,000 then your annual fee is $29.83; 220,000-400,000 then your annual fee is $37.62; 4000,000 and above then your annual fee is $68.40. This is a close estimate as to what the costs will be, but the exact price will be determined in the the next month and a half.

I spoke with Robert Cutler, the Novi Library Board President, and he explained that they really can't just add on or expand the current library because it was not designed for this. The old library will have to be pretty much torn down and then rebuilt. If the proposal is approved at the polls the expanded library will be 10 percent of the old building library and 90 percent new. They will keep some of the old building but not much. The major concern for many citizens is what will they do when the library is under expansion. Cutler explained to me that they will hire a professional company to move all of the current library equipment and put it in a new building off site. The off site location will be five minutes away from the current library. This will allow for the citizens to still have a library while the expansion process is ongoing. The cost of moving off site will be close to a million dollars, but this is already included in the 14 to 16 million dollar estimate.

The current library was never meant to serve such a big population. It has served the community well for over 30 years, but it has way to many problems. As mentioned above, size is the biggest issue. The lack of space limits the number of library programs offered, the number of books they can order/store, and the addition of new computers. In addition, the library staff has terrible working conditions because their work area in the back is extremely small. These are just a few of reasons why the current library needs to be expanded, but their are plenty more. I will mention and explain more of the problems throughout the entire paper. If the people of Novi do not vote "yes" on this year's proposal they are making a huge mistake. If the library does not get redone soon, more and more problems are going to arise and become very evident. Each year the library expansion gets delayed the construction cost will rise 5 to 10 percent per year due to the increase in material costs. The time is now for the people of Novi to vote yes, and I am going to try to convince them of this.

Last Couple Weeks

These next four weeks of classes will be quite interesting. I already have a lot of work to do and I am sure that plenty more is on the way. Right now, I am starting to work again so that is taking up a good amount of my time. I know that I am lucky compared to other kids who have to work more hours than I do! It is hard to focus during this time of year because the weather is getting nice, and I do not want to be stuck inside writing papers, doing group projects, and studying for exams. Unfortunately that is what college demands of you. I am counting down the days to the end of the semester.

One bright spot this weekend was watching the NCAA tourney. My bracket is pretty much busted. I have three out of the four final four teams left, but so do a lot of other people. I picked the Georgetown Hoyas to win it all, so I am sticking with them. The last couple of games should be good. Let's Go Hoyas!