Q & A in regard to Special Town Meeting Article #11

Here are some Questions you may have about Article #11 on the Special Town Meeting warrant, scheduled for Nov 17th:

Q. What are the Library Trustees asking for today?

Q. Why do we need a new library facility?

Q. How was the current building site selected?

Q. Why not renovate a town-owned or low-cost building instead of new construction?

Q. What new services would an adequate facility allow?

Q. Why move forward with this proposal in the current turbulent economic climate?

Q. The School budget is very tight. Why should town resources go towards the public library instead of to educational resources?

Q. What might the library of 5 or 10 years in the future look like?

Here's the latest ...

Members of the Library Building Design Selection Committee, a sub-group of the Library Building Feasibility Committee, are meeting with Architects right now to narrow the choices, and will know by the end of this week the details to be presented at a Special Town Meeting to be held next week, Tuesday, Nov. 17th at Nipmuc HS. beginning at 7:30pm

PLEASE plan to attend that meeting to learn more!

Why Not Combine Resources and Think Green??

Since the purpose of this blog is to share information and possibilities, and also to keep interested community members updated on what's happening at Feasibility Committee Meetings, I have been hoping for more input on this blog from members of the Committee. I want the facts and options to be shared so that we can all have a chance to comment about them and join together in sharing ideas, thus having a better chance of reaching a viable solution.

I am going out on a limb here by stating an "I heard ...." but my hope in doing this is to encourage the parties involved to come forward and join this discussion, and set the details straight. So, here goes:

I heard.... that at the last Feasibility Committee meeting an idea was proposed, one that I have been talking about from day one, and was instantly shot down with the comment that 'the people of Upton would never go for that' and also that the person making the suggestion 'should maybe not even be on the committee if that is how that person really feels!'

Here's the suggestion, which personally I think makes all the sense in the world, but would LOVE to hear what the voting members of our community have to say:

"Why are we not considering having ALL Town Departments join together in creating one new, efficient GREEN building that would solve so many issues in town, including space and costs?"

My 'dream building' would encompass a new library, a new senior center and include office space for all of the departments currently housed in the Town Hall and Knowlton Risteen Building, two old, inefficient buildings that would cost ridiculous amounts of money to update. When I've spoken of this idea before I actually had someone say to me "What do you think this is, Arizona?" I don't even know what that MEANS?! Was this person implying that people in Upton aren't forward-thinking enough to even consider such a brilliant idea?? I think it's a no-brainer, but I want to know what YOU think!

Just last week, the library hosted a program called Our Renewable Nation which included viewing an interview with the head of a private school in Worcester which has recently built a wind turbine on its campus to become totally self-sufficient energy-wise. Why can't the Town of Upton do something similar? Save money and create the much-needed improvements for our community. To view this video, click here: Wind Over Worcester.

I am just posting this video as ONE of many possibilities .... but I think that in order to bring about the changes we need, all of us need to be thinking beyond individual department needs and looking at the bigger picture of the future of Upton.

Info about the 'Library-in-Town-Hall' proposal

In response to my earlier post, regarding the comment someone made about this proposal, Matthew has included the following info:

Renovating the current Town Hall and using the space that is currently the Gym/Stage area for a library:

1. 1) A local architect volunteered his time and skills to create several conceptual plans for renovations of Town Hall. At the request of the Library Trustees, one of these possible plans included converting the gym and "little town hall" area into roughly 8,500 square feet of library space.
2. 2) The Board of Selectmen presented a request to the Community Preservation Committee to use CPA funds to pay for the design and development of construction documents. This request was for about $650,000 and would not have added to the tax rate. The version of the project that was presented to the CPC mentioned the library as one possible use of the renovated building, but did not assign any specific space or priority to the library. The CPC rejected this request, citing a need for more specific information.
3. 3) The next steps for this project to proceed are in the hands of the Selectmen. They may either a) stop working on the project entirely; b) appoint a building feasibility committee to develop more specific plans; c) present a revised request to the CPC.

The Board of Library Trustees is still interested in pursuing the possibility of renovating part of Town Hall into library space, but until the Selectmen decide to take the next step, there is little for the Trustees to do.

If library supporters would like to help push the Town Hall renovation idea along, they should contact the Board of Selectmen by any means (personal contact, email, letter) and indicate that they would like to see specific plans for Town Hall renovation, and request that library space be included and that library representatives be appointed to any Town Hall feasibility committee that is formed.

-Matthew Bachtold, Library Director

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Contact info:
Upton Board of Selectmen: (all elected for 3-yr terms)

• Robert J. Fleming, Chairman
  
• Kenneth E. Picard, Member
  
• Michael Goodwin, Member
  

1 Main Street
PO Box 479
Upton, MA 01568

Telephone: 508-529-6901
Fax: 508-529-1010

Admin Asst: James R. Bates, Sr
jbates.selectmen@upton.ma.us

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Board of Library Trustees: (all elected for 3-yr terms)

• John Robertson Jr., Chairman
  
• Erin Alcott
• Charlotte Carr
• Judith Katz
  
• Kathleen E. Kelley
• George Klink
• John Minnucci
• Candace E. Reid
• Linda D. White

2 Main Street
PO Box 1196
Upton, MA 01568

The Board of Library Trustees holds an open, public meeting on the first Monday night of each month, at 7pm, at Memorial School.

Welcome to our new blog!

Matthew Bachtold, Library Director, and Lisa Stratton, Children's/Young Adult Librarian (that's me!) at the Upton Town Library have been assigned the task of gathering community input for a proposed new library in Upton.

• WE NEED YOUR HELP!

As residents, library patrons, voters and tax payers, we need your honest input on this ... and you deserve the chance to have your opinions and ideas heard.

Here's our first discussion question. Please think about this, and answer honestly.

What would be your top priorities for a new library building to have?

• For example, would WiFi be more important to you than a large Reference collection??
  

• Really think about this.... More books or More services?

• What types of services?

• Keep in mind, books can be borrowed from other libraries, and delivered to Upton, so should space be reserved for people to gather in, rather than to store more books in??

• Larger children's area, separate storytime room?

• Young Adult/Teen room?

• Meeting rooms? cafe??

Let's get a discussion going here....!

On the "Build a New Library in Upton" Facebook page, our position statements are:

1. The Library should serve as the Town's Community Center.
2. The Library should meet the educational, recreational, informational, and cultural needs of its community.

3. "Libraries will get us through times of no money better than money will get us through times of no Libraries!"

4. It is imperative that residents make their voices heard, and let Library Trustees and Town Selectman know how much they value the Library.
   

Thank you for your help!!