Library board welcomes new member

Monday night, Bonnie Castillo attended her first Gibson Memorial Library Board of Trustees meeting as a member of the board. The Creston City Council appointed her to the board July 18.

Castillo explained she grew up in Creston and recently moved back to the area.

“I moved back about day five of COVID,” Castillo said. “I have custody of my grandson and we had a townhome, very small yard. We moved down to a family property south of Thayer where we have lots of space, trees and water.”

Now back in Union County, Castillo will be taking over for Jo Duckworth as the Union County Emergency Management Coordinator next year. As happy as she is to take this position, she’s even more excited about the opportunities being in Union County will provide for her grandson.

“My biggest reason for being here is so my grandson can go to East Union schools,” Castillo said. “East Union’s a great program without the big city-getting lost in things.”

Castillo said she also likes to take her grandkids to the library.

“My favorite part about the library is basically all the different things that they do,” Castillo said. “We bring my grandkids to the crafty, art classes. There was a scavenger hunt the last time we were here, the programs for adults, for kids, it’s just so many things.”

This is one reason Castillo wanted to join the library board.

“I‘ve always taken my kids to the library, now I take my grandkids to the library,” Castillo said. “I applied for the library board because libraries can be great resources to all community members, and helping be part of sculpting and molding what our Library programs are in the future is exciting.”

Castillo explained she also finally has more time to be involved.

“I have always wanted to be involved with the the communities that I live in, but work and family obligations made it difficult to be fully involved when I was younger,” Castillo said. “I feel that I am now in a good place to be involved, and being back in Union County has made that desire to help shape the future of programs stronger.”

Outside of work and her grandkids, Castillo said she enjoys couponing and rock and fossil hunting, along with books and art.

“My mother Linda Castillo still lives in Creston, in the house I grew up in. She has a great love of books and has passed that love on to many,” Castillo said. “Many of the books she has given me in the past were books about art, and although they are in a box currently were at one time displayed around my house as just another piece of beautiful art in my collection.”

Her favorite book at the moment is “Better Creatures” by Susan Montag, though it hasn’t been finished yet.

“The book is actually still being written, but I have had the opportunity to be an early reader,” Castillo said. “I can say it will be hard for some to read as it explores the challenges of growing up in a small town, and tries to break down the belief system that have been embedded over many generations. As the title says, we can all be ‘Better Creatures.’”

Castillo’s position on the library board lasts until July 2028. There are still two board positions open, both requiring Creston residence.

In other library news...

Library Director Gabriel Chrisman will be meeting with Mike Taylor so the Creston City Council can vote on bids for the pavilion project. The board hopes to see the project completed in September.