Roundup: Books, balls and bugs
And a miracle of sorts...
The Bibliobox comes to Sebastopol Library
Sebastopol Library patrons now have the freedom to pick up library holds 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the BiblioBox smart locker, easily accessible right outside the library’s western entrance on High Street. The point of the BiblioBox isn’t to replace librarians; it’s to cater to those who, usually for work reasons, can’t make it in during regular library hours.
“Despite the fact that we’re open seven days a week, we still get people that claim that we don't have enough hours open for them to pick up their holds,” said interim branch manager John Koetzner, who normally works at the Cloverdale Library. “We already had somebody asking about it, like, ‘You know, this is great. I’d love to be able to come at nine o’clock when I’m commuting in from someplace and get my books.’”
It may take a little getting used to—in part because there are no instructions on the Bibliobox about how to use it, just a QR code, which you scan with your phone, which then takes you to a website with instructions.
To save you all that rigamarole, here’s how it works:
Place holds to be picked up at the Bibliobox:
When you place your holds in the online catalog, select '“Sebastopol Bibliobox” as your pickup location.
The library will notify you when your holds are ready to pick up—you have three days to pick them up.
Pick Up Holds
When you arrive at the Bibliobox, scan your card or enter your library card number and PIN number on the touch screen. (“Sometimes getting the scan just right is a little tricky,” Koetzner said.)
A locker will open for you to retrieve your items. Items are checked out to you when the locker opens. (Please remove all items before you close the locker.)
Librarian Adriel Ahern agreed to play guinea pig to show us how it worked. She placed a hold, then went out to the Bibliobox to try and retrieve it. I won’t say it worked perfectly smoothly, but eventually one of the magic drawers slid open with her book.
The persistent popularity of pickleball
The Sports Basement held a pickleball demo in Sebastopol this week. We mentioned it in “What’s Happening this week in Sebastopol?” and a whole bunch of people showed up to play at the tennis (er, pickleball) courts near Libby Park. Pickleball ambassador Kathy Kerst was thrilled. “I am so excited to see such enthusiasm here,” she wrote to Dale.
One of the people who showed up, Sebastopol resident Marylou Mileck, was so impressed by the turnout that she sent us this pickleball report:
“Today 75 Sebastopodlians showed up at the Brook Haven courts by Libby Park for the Sport Basement Pickleball Demo Day. Some have played for a while, and many new faces were also there. All ages love the game! Sports Basement had lots of paddles to try out, information, coupons, water and snacks, and everyone played along.
If you’re new to Pickleball and want to try it out, Finley Community Center offers free introductory courses every Wednesday and Friday mornings. It is such a fun game, easy to learn, the pickleball community is very welcoming, and the equipment is affordable. You just need a paddle and a couple of balls. Great for exercise and community building.
The Sebastopol group uses www.playtimescheduler.com to schedule games. It’s free to use, and it’s easy to sign up.
Nearly every city in Sonoma County, except Sebastopol, has dedicated pickleball courts. Many players travel to other areas with better/more courts. We are looking into two options for expanding the availability of courts in Sebastopol: The quickest one would be to redo two of the three tennis courts at Brook Haven. New lines would allow six Pickleball courts, leaving one tennis court. Tennis players also have access to Analy's courts and some very nice ones at Ragle Park. The other option is to build dedicated pickleball courts at Ragle Park. There appears to be space. Some fundraising may be necessary. Players in Occidental recently collaborated with Sonoma County Regional Parks to get four dedicated courts. For sure, Sebastopol is next!”
Praying at the Shrine
I was visiting the Virgin of Guadalupe Shrine at St. Sebastian’s Catholic Church in Sebastopol, near Pacific Market, when this 3.5-inch beauty landed on my shoulder before flying off to a nearby rosebush. There are 2,500 species of praying mantis in the world. They are considered garden friends because they eat so many other bugs—including their fellow mantises, which is a little creepy. Still, I just loved the idea of a praying mantis in a shrine. This shrine, by the way, is a lovely place, which Sebastopol’s Latino community and others keep well-supplied with flowers.
Correction: Get ’em in the right order
In “What it takes to run for city council,” I mistakenly said that Councilmember Sandra Maurer came in first in the 2022 election for city council. She actually came in third. Vice Mayor Stephen Zollman took first place, and Councilmember Jill McLewis came in second.
Sebastopol Police Logs, July 8-14
The following are crimes excerpted from Sebastopol Police Department daily crime log entries and listed at the time the alleged violation was reported.
MONDAY
11:19 p.m. Possession of a controlled substance and unlawful paraphernalia (misdemeanors) and served with a misdemeanor arrest warrant for an outside agency at North Main Street and Bodega Avenue. Suspect arrested.
TUESDAY
12:39 a.m. Possession of unlawful paraphernalia and a controlled substance (misdemeanors) and violation of probation (felony) at Gravenstein Highway South and Fellers Lane. Suspect arrested.
11:38 a.m. Second-degree burglary, breaking and entering, and grand theft (felonies) at West Street and Mary’s Lane. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
WEDNESDAY
6:07 p.m. Getting credit under false pretenses, swindling, and theft of more than $950 from an elderly dependent adult (felonies) at Washington and Bodega avenues. Charges unfounded.
9:19 p.m. Served with a felony arrest warrant for an outside agency and possession of a controlled substance and unlawful paraphernalia (misdemeanors) at High and Burnett streets. Suspect arrested.
THURSDAY
6:53 a.m. Served a misdemeanor arrest warrant for an outside agency at South Main and Willow streets. Suspect arrested.
FRIDAY
4:12 p.m. Theft by using credit card or ATM information (felony) at Laguna Park Way and McKinley Street. Pending further investigation.
6:41 p.m. Tampering with a vehicle (misdemeanor) at North Main Street and Healdsburg Avenue. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
SATURDAY
9:50 a.m. Served a felony arrest warrant for an outside agency at Gravenstein Highway South and Cooper Road. Suspect arrested.
12:21 p.m. Served a misdemeanor arrest warrant for an outside agency at South Main and Willow streets. Suspect arrested.
4:17 p.m. Served a misdemeanor arrest warrant for an outside agency at Brookside Avenue and Orchard Street. Suspect arrested.
10:45 p.m. Battery of a spouse or companion (misdemeanor) at Fircrest Avenue and Gravenstein Highway South. Suspect arrested.
SUNDAY
5:48 a.m. Second-degree robbery, second-degree burglary, and shoplifting (felonies) at Gravenstein Highway South and Cooper Road. Pending further investigation.
OTHER POLICE ACTION
The Sebastopol Police Department also recorded 185 other events requiring police action during the period, such as lost animals, assisting citizens, parking violations, foot patrol, traffic hazards and reckless driving.
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