By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The Select Board voted on Dec. 11 to request an extension from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) for the recently rejected $34 million Lynnfield Public Library project.
Fall Town Meeting narrowly rejected two warrant articles associated with the library project in October. While Article 10 received 293 votes in favor and 230 against, it did not pass by the required two-thirds majority that was needed. Article 10 would have sent the project to a townwide debt exclusion vote.
A similar outcome occurred with Article 11, which have designated that the new library would be built on a portion of the Reedy Meadow Golf Course. While Article 11 received 281 votes in favor and 148 against, it did not meet the required two-thirds majority to pass by 15 votes.
Select Board Chair Joe Connell said the Library Building Committee and the Board of Library Trustees each voted to request that the Select Board apply for an extension from the MBLC for the proposed project’s $9 million grant.
“The proponents of the project said they intend to consider the objections raised to the proposal and invite further public comment,” said Connell. “The MBLC must vote to grant the extension if the town is to remain eligible for the approximately $9 million state grant.”
Connell, who opposed the library project, said the LBC will need to collect 200 signatures for a Special Town Meeting in order for a second vote on the library project to take place. If the Special Town Meeting approves the project, he said voters will be asked to approve a townwide debt exclusion vote during the annual Town Election in April.
Select Board member Dick Dalton made a motion to approve the LBC and Library Trustees’ request for the extension. However, he said he remains opposed to the project.
“I will make a motion to approve this going forward, but it must be understood by the Library Trustees and the public at-large that, as one member of the Select Board, I have not changed my position on this issue,” said Dalton. “I remain in objection to it. As it is my understanding, there is going to be public hearings and hopefully some positive reaction to those. We will go forward from there. With important issues such as this, it should be the town deciding the final vote on this.”
After the discussion, the Select Board unanimously voted to petition the MBLC for an extension for the library project and authorize Town Administrator Rob Dolan to send the MBLC a letter about the extension request.
“Thank you very much for the opportunity,” said LBC Chair Russell Boekenkroeger, who is also a Library Trustee.
Boekenkroeger informed the Villager last month that the MBLC will vote on the extension request in early January.