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Pinetop Lakeside council meets new Friends of the Library board; group resumes events after 2017 pause
Summary
Library Director Betsy Peck introduced the revived Friends of the Library board to the town council; volunteers will support book sales, a Read Better, Be Better program and Autumn Fest events after the group paused activity in 2017 and resumed work when staff reorganized.
The Pinetop Lakeside Town Council heard an introduction of the town library’s reinstated Friends of the Library board at its July meeting.
Betsy Peck, library director, introduced new and returning officers and volunteers, saying the group will support library programs and fundraising. "I am so excited to invite you to introduce our new Friends of the Library board," Peck said, then named Kathy Penrod as president, Donna Halsisak as vice president (not present), Stephanie Borders as secretary, Jody David as treasurer and Sue Singer, Judy Price and Rosemary Crews as members at large.
Peck told the council that the Friends group had paused operations in 2017 and that staff revived the organization after Peck became director in 2020; she credited John and Karen Dennison with stepping in as interim officers while the group restarted. Members present described volunteer activities such as book sales, Santa’s Workshop and the Read Better, Be Better volunteer tutoring program; Peck said the Friends will also support Autumn Fest.
Why it matters: Friends groups commonly provide volunteer support, fundraising and outreach that supplement library services. Council members thanked the volunteers for their service and recognized the value of volunteers to library programming and community events.
What happened on the record: Peck provided biographical notes for the volunteers and recounted the group’s history. Council members publicly recognized the new board and invited them to be seated for acknowledgement; there was no council vote or formal policy action tied to the introduction.
What was not decided: No formal town funding or ordinance changes were proposed or adopted during the introduction; this was a ceremonial recognition and an organizational update from library staff.
