A RENDERING of the proposed outdoor courtyards that have been incorporated into the proposed $34 million Lynnfield Public Library project’s design. (William Rawn Associates)
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — Fall Town Meeting will decide the fate of the $34 million Lynnfield Public Library project on Monday, Oct. 16, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Lynnfield Middle School auditorium.
Similar to previous Town Meetings, a quorum of 175 voters is needed for the meeting to proceed. Registered voters will be able to begin checking into Town Meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday. Electronic voting will be used at Fall Town Meeting once again.
The Board of Library Trustees submitted Articles 10 and 11 for Fall Town Meeting. Article 10 will ask voters to approve sending the $34 million library project to a debt exclusion vote that will tentatively take place during a Special Town Election in early December.
Article 11 will request Fall Town Meeting to approve transferring a portion of land located on the Reedy Meadow Golf Course from the Select Board to the Library Trustees. If the project gets approved, the new library will be constructed on a portion of the golf course.
Due to the $9 million provisional Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) grant that the town received, Town Administrator Rob Dolan recently said that the tax impact will be based on $25 million as opposed to $34 million.
“The average tax bill will be $295 per average house in Lynnfield,” said Dolan.
The proposed $34 million library would be funded in three different ways. The new library’s price tag totals $31 million. An additional $2 million is needed to repair the current library so it can be repurposed for a different use.
An additional $1 million is needed for site work at the Reedy Meadow Golf Course. The site work includes either moving or replacing a historic red barn that the golf course’s staff members use to store equipment. The course’s gasoline tanks have to be relocated as well. The historic Danforth House has to be razed in order for the new library project to be constructed.
The proposed new Lynnfield Public Library would be 25,638-square-feet, which is much larger than the current 14,300-square-foot library. The new building, which is being designed by William Rawn Associates, would include larger Children’s and Teen Rooms, a technology lab, a Genealogy Room and an education center.
There would also be community program and meeting rooms that will be will be available outside of normal library hours for private and community events. The new library would also have outdoor spaces, including courtyards.
The new library would also have 70 parking spaces, which is more than the current eight parking spaces that are located in the back of the existing building. There is overflow and staff parking also located in the Town Hall parking lot.
Library Building Committee member Joe Gallagher urged residents to vote “yes” for the library project at Fall Town Meeting.
“The new Lynnfield Library is a once in a generation opportunity to create a cultural learning center that is freely available to all ages in Lynnfield,” said Gallagher. “The excitement is palpable from the library staff, patrons and the Friends of the Lynnfield Library when they speak about the new building, its design and the possibilities for our community — from additional programming to an indoor/outdoor space that is free and open to all. The incredibly warm and comfortable feeling that the staff creates in the current building can’t fix the fact that it’s not Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant, that there are numerous maintenance issues with the structure of the building and there are areas of the building that are unsafe for patrons and staff.
“After eight years of waiting, we finally have the chance to seize the opportunity to receive the $9M MBLC grant,” Gallagher continued. “I urge my fellow Lynnfield residents to attend Fall Town Meeting on Monday, Oct/16 and to choose the best possible future for our town and for generations to come.”
While library officials are supporting the $34 million project, the Select Board unanimously voted not to recommend it during an Oct. 2 meeting.
Select Board member Phil Crawford recalled that voters approved the $18 million elementary schools’ expansion project three years ago and the $63.5 million public safety buildings and Town Hall (PSB) project last year. In addition to the elementary schools’ expansion and PSB projects, Crawford also noted that Lynnfield Center Water District (LCWD) ratepayers have approved the $20.5 million capital program.
The elementary schools’ and PSB projects added an average of $572 to property tax bills while the LCWD projects added an additional $315 to water rates. If voters approve the library project, the price tag for all four capital projects would average of $1,182. South Lynnfield residents are not paying for the LCWD projects because that portion of town gets its water from the Lynnfield Water District.
“I am not in a position to approve something that would be detrimental to a lot of households,” said Crawford about the potential tax increase.
Select Board member Dick Dalton agreed.
“I have often heard about being careful for seniors who are on fixed incomes and there is only so much they can afford,” said Dalton. “When we start getting up to the $1,200 range in two years, it’s not just seniors. A lot of homeowners in town are facing inflationary pressures. We are asking a little bit too much of them.”
Crawford also expressed concerns that more librarians and custodians would need to be hired because the new building will be much larger than the current facility. The Select Board and several Finance Committee members have criticized library officials for not providing them with a staffing plan for the new building after requesting it for several years.
“I can’t imagine that we can cover the additional operating expenses for the library under our tax levy,” said Crawford. “I cannot in good faith put that upon the taxpayers at this point.”
Dalton said the library project is “not a need as the schools’ and public safety projects were.”
“I think it’s unrealistic to say that the library’s operating budget will remain the same when the building is doubling in size and has outdoor spaces,” said Dalton.
Library Director Abby Porter and LBC Chairman Russell Boekenkroeger have both maintained that the new library can open with its current staff.
“It’s very doable with our staff, and MBLC agrees with me on this,” said Porter during a recent Select Board meeting. “The architect has worked really hard to create site lines for this plan. Ideally, I would love a teen librarian and a custodian. Our tech support is provided through the NOBLE consortium, so that is not a concern at all. We can open with the staff that we have.”
Boekenkroeger echoed Porter’s viewpoint during a recent Finance Committee meeting.
“We can go down there and work with the staff that we have today,” said Boekenkroeger.
Dalton also called the proposed library’s modern design “completely out of synch with the character of the town.”
“And all I have heard from library representatives is we have plenty time to change the design,” said Dalton. “The design should be changed before it goes to Town Meeting.”
The Finance Committee voted 6-5 not to recommend Article 10 for Fall Town Meeting (see separate story). The Planning Board unanimously voted to recommend the library project.