PLAINFIELD — A proposal for a new library in Meriden Village is likely to dominate debate at Town Meeting again this year. The plan is nearly identical to one defeated during last year’s long and contentious Town Meeting, but it reflects additional fundraising and does not require borrowing.
With a price tag of about $1 million, the new 3,700-square-foot library would replace the current Meriden Library and would be energy efficient and ADA compliant. The overall price is about $70,000 higher than last year’s proposal due to increased construction costs, said Town Administrator Steve Halleran.
However, library supporters have raised $800,000 in donations and pledges to defray the costs. An additional $63,000 would come from reserve funds, leaving $183,000 to be raised by taxation. That’s about 57 cents per $1,000 of property valuation.
Last year’s library proposal called for a $487,500 bond and required a two-thirds majority vote. It fell short by about 45 votes. Because the new plan does not require borrowing, it will need only a simple majority to pass.
Nevertheless, the warrant article is likely to reignite a long-running debate.
“It is a very divisive lightning rod in our community,” Halleran said.
Meriden has had its own library, housed in various locations, since shortly after the village was incorporated in the late 1700s. In recent years, some residents have questioned whether Plainfield, a town of about 3,000 people that includes Meriden, really needs two libraries. In 2017, voters overwhelmingly defeated a petitioned warrant article that proposed ending town support for the Meriden Library. But while supporters have been passionate about raising money for the library, taxpayers have been reluctant to open their wallets.
“I think you won’t see this article in the future,” Halleran said. “It either passes or it doesn’t, and it takes a break for a while.”
The conflict over the library is also reflected in this year’s election, Halleran said. Four candidates — two from Meriden and two from the Plainfield Village side of town — are running for two library trustee positions. Rosemary Mills and Beverly Widger are running for a three-year term, and Adrienne Cedeno and John Hendrick are running for a one-year term.
Selectboard member Ron Eberhardt is up for reelection. He faces a challenge from Marc Morgan, who serves as solid waste manager for the city of Lebanon and recently served on the finance committee for the town of Plainfield.
Residents will also be asked to add money to several capital reserve funds, expand eligibility for the Veterans’ Tax Credit and approve an operating budget of $2.4 million. The budget reflects a modest increase mainly due to rising costs of health insurance and road maintenance, Halleran said. If the budget and all other warrant articles including the library are approved, the overall impact on the tax rate will be 82 cents per $1,000 of property valuation, Halleran said. That amounts to about $246 on a $300,000 home.
The increase will be offset this year by a decrease of $184,000 in this year’s school budget, due primarily to a drop in special education tuition and transportation. The decrease translates to a reduction of about $129 on the tax bill for a $300,000 home. In addition to approving the budget, residents at the School District meeting will vote on a $35,000 proposal to replace sections of flooring in Plainfield Elementary School and a $20,000 proposal to conduct a building and grounds study at the school in preparation to upgrade the gymnasium and address drainage issues on the grounds.
The Plainfield School District meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 7, at 10 a.m. at the Plainfield Elementary School. Ballot voting will take place on Tuesday, March 10, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the school gymnasium. Town Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 14, at 10 a.m. in the school gymnasium.