SOUTH DEERFIELD — Fielding questions from residents, Tilton Library Director Candace Bradbury-Carlin and a panel of speakers provided information about the library’s proposed expansion project ahead of an Oct. 24 Special Town Meeting vote.
Featuring library trustees and directors from around the region and two Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) building specialists, the panel discussed how the expansion project — if approved by voters — will proceed, as well as the effects that building a new library has had on nearby communities.
“It was transformational,” said Lorin Starr, a Sunderland Public Library trustee. The Sunderland Public Library was built after receiving an MBLC grant in 2001. “Was there opposition when we built it? Of course, but everyone has come to appreciate it.”
Several questions were asked about the financial impact of the project, which the panel and Deerfield Finance Committee Chair Julie Chalfant said will be answered at a Select Board meeting and pre-Town Meeting information session that is scheduled for Oct. 17. Residents are advised to keep an eye out on the town website or at Town Hall for additional details on when that meeting will be held.
In July, Tilton Library received a nearly $4 million grant that will partially fund an expansion project — the first major renovation since the 1990s — the library has been eyeing for more than a decade. To initiate the project, however, the town’s voters must match the grant, and then some, by authorizing the appropriation or borrowing of money at special Town Meeting. The total project is expected to cost $12.3 million.
This new estimate represents a more than 50% increase in costs from the original $8 million estimate. When the library’s grant application was approved by the MBLC in 2017, it was expected the grant would cover half the project.
While the special Town Meeting warrant article says $12.3 million, the actual amount that needs to be borrowed will end up lower than that. Tilton Library has set a $2 million fundraising goal — it has already raised more than $750,000 — that, combined with the nearly $4 million grant, will mean Deerfield would only need to borrow roughly $6 million.
If voters do not approve borrowing money for the project and the library doesn’t fund it through other means, the grant will be lost.
The panel for Thursday’s information session included MBLC building specialists Lauren Stara and Andrea Bunker; Tilton Library Architect Philip O’Brien, of Johnson Roberts Associates; Hadley Public Library Director Patrick Borezo; South Hadley Public Library Director Joe Rodio; and Starr.
In her opening remarks, Bradbury-Carlin said this project is an opportunity for the library to grow alongside the town of Deerfield, which has laid out several large capital projects over the next decade.
“We feel it’s time to adapt to our growing town and our evolving world,” Bradbury-Carlin said. “A library is an essential town service, like schools, senior services and emergency services.”
Rodio, Borezo and Starr all said building or expanding their libraries was a great benefit to their communities, even if it can take some convincing of residents to spend the money.
“Eighteen years later, the money doesn’t seem like much,” Starr said. “Eventually you forget about the pain.”
“It’s undeniable this building has had an impact,” Borezo added, noting the Hadley Public Library was losing patrons to other libraries until its own project was completed. “Our numbers are way up and it’s been an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the community.”
If undertaken, Tilton Library’s project would include energy efficiency upgrades, renovating and expanding existing rooms, and improving accessibility. A slideshow presenting the library’s plans can be viewed at bit.ly/36nNjI7.
One of the additions Bradbury-Carlin highlighted is a meeting room that could seat up to 80 people. The library has never had a dedicated meeting room before. While no official policy has been set for its use, she said her hope is to allow community groups to use the room outside of normal library hours.
More information about Tilton Library’s proposed expansion can be found at tiltonlibrary.org. Special Town Meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. at Frontier Regional School, according to the most recent draft reviewed at Wednesday’s Selectboard meeting.