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Date: 12/12/2023
AMHERST — A well-attended Dec. 4 Town Council meeting was fostered with lengthy discussion and more than an hour of public comment as council members considered their position on another $10 million in borrowed funds for the Jones Library renovation and expansion. The result was a decision to delay a ruling on the additional money until later this month.
Community members who joined the meeting via Zoom and in person at Town Hall spoke mostly in favor of more funding for the $46.1 million project, which has received numerous allotments from a variety of sources public and private. Library trustees were also present during the hybrid meeting.
Most recently, the plan accepted a $1 million gift from Amherst College in addition to nearly $4 million in community fundraising efforts, while the Jones Library Capital Campaign has secured over $9.1 million for the renovation and expansion. A $13.8 million grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and $15.8 million committed by the town of Amherst in 2021 initiated the go ahead of the undertaking.
Pondview Dr. Resident Jennifer Riley urged the Town Council to take all necessary steps to continue the library project.
“A yes vote tonight to amend the borrowing cap, it feels important to demonstrate to government sources of funding, also to private donors and perhaps most importantly to the people and families of Amherst that the Town Council is going to steward this project forward and get it across the finish line,” she said.
Jeff Lee, who lives on Southeast Street expressed concern over potential compensation for Amherst Forward fundraisers who he said have been attached to the project.
“Last week we learned that capital campaign fundraisers intend to pay $1.05 million in campaign expenses,” he said. “With personnel expenses representing 90% of campaign expenses, Amherst Forward library professional fundraiser stand to earn $900,000 for their lobbying efforts. “If this isn’t a conflict of interest and a perversion of our local democracy, I don’t know what is.”
Lee urged the council to vote no on the additional funding.
While other community members expressed concerns that money originally received for renovations and expansion might go towards less extensive repairs to the building, others inquired about how more borrowing for the library might impact other town needs like road improvements, the DPW and a new fire station.
Council Members Dorothy Pam and Pam Rooney each inquired about potential cost overruns and whether the town or the library might be responsible for any additional expenditures.
In addressing positions and potential concerns on the part of council members over the vote, Town Manager Paul Bockelman urged the members to discuss their questions and conflicts that if a postponement on any action were agreed upon, that all was covered as opposed to going back and forth on more issues.
“This memorandum of agreement is pretty clear in the fact that the trustees have already expressed their openness to it,” he said.
In a 10-3 council vote, the measure of the additional funding was put off until the Dec. 18 meeting.