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| The Library of Congress Reading Room (I used to do my homework there many years ago ...) |
I am a big library fan. I think Stu Parsons, Kathy Johnson and the rest of the Library team should have a building named after them (although preferably not a $15 Million building!). They do great things with few few resources and very little space. They are a great asset to the entire Town.
A while back, the local rag noted that Library supporters had put up their own blog to provide public outreach and more detailed information to justify the $15 Million they want to spend on a new "branch" library. With Town Meeting approaching fast, I was hoping to read up and see if I have been missing anything. I did eventually find their website.
But ... there was almost nothing there.
There was the artists rendering of the building, but no plans and no proposed project budget. There was a post reminding people about Town Meeting and saying:
The South Sandwich Library Project is ARTICLE 15 on the warrant. Voters will be asked to approve the design and accept the grant if awarded in July. A YES vote on ARTICLE 15 will cost the town ZERO DOLLARS.
There was a link to the regular Sandwich Public Library website -- but the set of plans was far too small to read with the naked eye (or even with my glasses on and the big screen zoomed-in!).
I agree with the idea that a "YES" on Article 15 won't cost anything. But, a "NO" won't cost anything either. The other advantage to a "NO" is that it doesn't give anyone the impression that there is public support to fund (even 50% of) a $15 million library.
The third advantage of a "NO" vote is that encourages folks to go back to the drawing board and hopefully come up with a more affordable, scaled down version.
I find the pro-library signs saying "50% Off!" ridiculous and almost insulting. If we can't afford a $7.5 million library -- what makes anyone think we can afford 50% of a $15 million library?
The Library did a very detailed expansion study in which a consultant detailed what perceived deficiencies existed and what would need to be added to improve the facilities. But, I don't recall seeing many cost figures. And, cost is not a small issue.
We don't need more meeting rooms. We already have 4 schools with plenty of space at night -- and we just spent $3 million to build a meeting room at the New Old Town Hall. Oakcrest Cove is almost empty, the BOS has moved out of the Human Services Building -- even the Housing Authority has a Community Room available for meetings. We don't need a huge book warehouse in this day of rapidly increasing Nooks, Kindles, I-Pads, etc. Like it or not, people are moving away from paper. (See "E-Book Demand Explodes at Libraries in The Cape Cod Times).
We also don't need "video conferencing facilities" -- if there is sufficient demand for that service, the private sector will provide it. Taxpayers shouldn't be expected to subsidize local businesses -- particularly ones from out of Town. And, at the risk of being branded a Grinch, we don't need another playground. Between the nearby Forestdale & Oakridge Schools, there are already 3 playgrounds.
We DO need a new Police/Fire Station, we need new roofs, windows, some new HVAC systems, and we need to consolidate some of the Town offices that have become scattered across the landscape.
AND, we need to find a way to fund the operations of the existing Library which is closed on Sunday and Monday to save money. If we can't pay for the current operation, how are we going to fund a second, far larger, building?
