The future of the old library seemed uncertain once again at a meeting of the Capital Planning and Investment Committee (CPIC) on Sept. 24 as officials confronted the impact of much-higher-than-expected construction bids.
The committee met with the Old Library Accessibility Committee (OLAC) to discuss the $200,000 shortfall in funding for the project that would restore the center entrance and make the building accessible for the first time in its 130-year history. While some members balked at investing yet more money in an old town building, especially in light of the fact that it will soon need a new roof, in the end the committee voted 4-1 to use $191,000 from the Capital Stabilization Fund for the project, and to ask the town to approve borrowing the remaining $200,000 needed.
The town has already approved borrowing most of that money. At Special Town Meeting in 2017, residents voted to authorize borrowing $383,000 for the project, with the understanding that any grants received would be deducted from that amount. The town received a grant of $192,000 for the project in January, bringing the authorized borrowing down to $191,000, just $9,000 short of what is needed. At this year’s Special Town Meeting on Oct. 22, residents will be asked to make up that shortfall.
CPIC Chair John Seeley began the discussion about the project overage about 10 minutes before its scheduled time on the agenda, despite the fact that no one from OLAC was yet at the meeting, and the project was on CPIC’s agenda at OLAC’s request. Seeley told the other CPIC members he had a variety of reasons to oppose putting any more money into the old library, including the low rent that the current tenant, the Harvard Cultural Collaborative, pays ($7,200 a year), the lack of the town’s need for the building, its low assessment (about $350,000), and the other capital projects in the pipeline, including Phase 2 of Hildreth House renovations and the new elementary school. Seeley urged the committee to ask the Select Board to come up with a plan for the building before spending any more money on it.
CPIC member Nate Finch addressed Seeley’s comments by saying that the assessed value of the building was low because it needed repairs and was inaccessible, and that if the town sold the building, it would see a return on investment for both the accessibility project and a new roof. He added that the building is a landmark that’s used by many residents, and that it doesn’t need to make money for the town. Mark Mikitarian, a member of both OLAC and the cultural collaborative, said about 300 people a month attend classes, events, and exhibits in the building.
Accessibility… again
Seeley asked Mikitarian if the cultural collaborative had received any complaints from visitors who had to use the back entrance because they could not navigate the side stairs. Mikitarian said about a half dozen people fit into that category, and he wasn’t aware of any complaints, “but the building is not compliant.” The building is in the second year of a three-year variance from the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (AAB) that allows the town to use the building while making progress toward making it legally accessible. Seeley then asked if the building could be shuttered and kept as a town monument. Member Alice von Loesecke said she would never vote for that.
Mikitarian said that when the town voted to approve funding for the project in 2017, it saw the value in improving the building. But Seeley argued that when the town voted, the project price tag was $383,000. Now, he said, with the overage and a new roof currently estimated at $400,000, the price tag is close to $1 million, and the town might not think improving the building is worth that amount. Members SusanMary Redinger and Teresa Jardon agreed.
Redinger added that there are problems inside the building as well, and perhaps the entire building should be evaluated and the project presented to the town as a single package. OLAC Chair Lucy Wallace said the town has no appetite for large projects right now because residents are all “holding their breath” waiting for the new school bids to come in. Von Loesecke agreed that, if the building is to be used, accessibility needs to be done because it’s the law, and the new roof needs to be done to protect the building, but there is no need to bundle in any interior work.
Four yes, one no
Four of the five voting members eventually voted for a motion to ask residents to approve borrowing $200,000 for the accessibility project at Special Town Meeting (STM), as long as attendees are aware that a new roof for the building is also on the horizon. In addition, the motion included reaffirmation of using $191,000 from the Capital Stabilization Fund for the project, which it voted earlier in September when it looked as if the entire project could be done without any borrowing. Seeley maintained that there were no good alternatives and opposed the motion.
