Plainfield
The 225-29 ballot vote came after more than an hour of comments, some parliamentary procedural discussion and a move to withdraw the article by the resident who first recommended it.
After more than a dozen residents spoke against the article, with no one commenting in favor, Diane Rogers made a motion to withdraw it.
Rogers said it was never her intention to cause any division in town, which several suggested, but instead said she was speaking on behalf of people who didn’t see the need for two libraries.
“I may have been misguided to be their voice,” said Rogers. “This was not about causing division. I was trying to be the point of view of those who don’t use the library and thought they had a valid argument. That is why I am here. I apologize if you thought I am making a big problem.”
The motion to withdraw was stalled while Rogers, Town Moderator Paul Franklin and the former town moderator, Steve Taylor, huddled for several minutes.
Franklin then told residents state law requires all articles to be acted on and the withdrawal motion may not pass muster with state officials. Rogers instead moved to “lay it on the table.”
That led to a series of questions about the meaning of such action. While Franklin said passing the motion would effectively kill the article for the meeting, someone could “take it off the table” next year. It was not what the majority wanted to hear. They rejected the motion to lay it on the table by voice vote then defeated the original article by ballot.
When Rogers presented the article, she said ending tax support for the Meriden Library would save the town money, including the future cost of renovations in Meriden, while not harming access to library services for residents who could use Philip Read Memorial Library, located on Route 12A in Plainfield Village. The article did not propose closing the Meriden Library, only ending tax support, meaning it would have to have been privately supported. The budget for both libraries for the year is $148,266.
Those who urged voters to reject the article spoke strongly in support of the value of the Meriden location for students, families and senior citizens.
Emily Sands, chairwoman of the Plainfield Library Trustees, talked about the numerous programs in Meriden. Calling it a “tiny but vibrant and inviting” library, Sands said she feels fortunate the town has both libraries.
“I believe residents would lose an awful lot” without town support and not save that much in taxes, she said.
Some spoke in support of the library by noting that the library is used by students who are dropped off after school, while others warned that forcing everyone to drive to Plainfield Village could require some people to make a one-hour round trip simply to take out a book.
It soon became clear the article had no vocal support.
Joseph Crate, who was a trustee for the Meriden library, said he remembers arguing in support of the Read Memorial Library when some wanted to shut it down in the 1990s.
“I find it sad I have to stand here and defend the Meriden Library like I did the Phillip Read Library,” Crate said. “It is necessary for each village to have a library.”
For a couple of residents, the proposal to end support of the Meriden library was being done out of spite.
“We are one town, two villages. We love this library,” said Kesaya E. Noda. “We have to help each other. We don’t want this behavior in this town anymore. Let’s end it right now. No more meanness, no more spite.”
Resident Judy Hallam said “time and time again” a group has brought the issue up to the point of being “obsessed” with it. She asked if the town could place a moratorium on similar articles in the next few years. Franklin said such a motion would not be legal.
“It is sapping the energy of our town,” Hallam said. “I feel it is destructive, not constructive.”
Plainfield officials spent more than $20,000 in legal fees and mediation in a 2015 transition agreement with Nancy Norwalk, who had served as director of the Philip Read Memorial Library for 40 years. Her employment in another job at the library ended at the end of 2016.
Earlier in the meeting, when it was stated that an increase in legal fees were partly the result of needing the town attorney for library-related issues, Selectboard member Ron Eberhardt gave an example of what some believe demonstrated the “spite” that has poisoned the library controversy.
Eberhardt said a person who attended and sat through a recent library trustees meeting knew it was improperly warned but said nothing until the next day when the town attorney was contacted.
“I don’t understand the adversarial relationship,” said Eberhardt. “I hope we can work together.”
All other warrant articles were approved during the 4½-hour meeting.
The $2.2 million town budget passed, 224-22, as did the capital reserve and general trust funds appropriations of $167,500, 230-14, along with $7,000 for restoration of the stone entryway at the Plainfield Plain Cemetery, 237-6.
Articles to continue the Kimball Union Academy/Plainfield study committee, the town finance committee and the Meriden Library/Meriden Village Study Committee all passed by voice vote.
At the start of the meeting, Selectboard member Judy Belyea was honored with the Stephen H. Taylor Community Service Award for her 30 years on the Selectboard along with 20 years on the Planning Board.
Turnout was about 13 percent of the town’s 1,761 registered voters.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
