Plainfield
About 30 people filled the town hall, with some expressing support and seemingly an equal number opposed.
The question whether to borrow no more than $487,000 to build a new, 3,700-square-foot, single-floor library at a total cost not to exceed $1 million will be decided at a Town Meeting vote on March 16.
The balance of the funding will come from reserve accounts and donations. Joe Crate, a member of the fundraising committee, said they have about $425,000 in total.
“We are going to raise as much money privately as possible,” Crate said.
Several residents said while a new library might be nice, the town already has the Philip Read Library in Plainfield that recently underwent a major expansion and two new libraries is simply something many in town cannot afford.
One of the primary reasons for replacing the Meriden Library is that it does not meet handicap accessibility requirements and lacks space for a lot of programs.
“I see a project of convenience,” resident Susan Williams said. “We already have an (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant library.”
Resident Chris Dye said people in Plainfield resoundingly showed their support for two libraries when they rejected an article at Town Meeting in 2016 to defund the Meriden Library.
“The town has already decided in that meeting to support funding of that library,” Dye said.
Dye said Plainfield has supported two libraries since they were constructed in 1797 and 1808.
“There just isn’t any question this library is needed in Meriden,” Dye said.
Brad Atwater, the town’s part-time facilities manager and contractor, gave an overview of the new library design.
The single-level building would meet all ADA standards and would include a multipurpose room that could be used by different groups for meetings. Atwater said the room would have a separate entrance that would allow its use when the library is closed.
“We wanted to make sure that need was addressed,” Atwater said about the meeting room.
Vicki Ramos-Glew, a member of the Friends of the Meriden Library, agreed that a large meeting room was needed as space is at a premium in the current library of 2,500 square feet.
“This is a tiny, tiny library used by many people,” she said.
Atwater also said the library would be highly efficient and durable.
Town Administrator Steve Halleran explained some of the financing and tax impact. He said the town’s goal is to have the annual debt payment be no more than the $37,000 that was paid annually for the Philip Read Library expansion. That debt has been retired, Halleran said, so while the borrowing for a new Meriden Library will have a tax impact (13 cents), it would not increase taxes because the town is no longer paying the Read Library debt.
Halleran also said they are nearly 100 percent confident of the estimates for a new library.
Crate and Halleran said fundraising would continue in earnest after Town Meeting and assuming voters pass the borrowing article, the amount the town actually borrows could be less.
“We are hoping to ask for very little,” Crate said. “We are beating the bushes (seeking donations) in a lot of different ways.”
However, despite promises to keep the cost to taxpayers down as much as possible, some residents thought the town had more pressing needs than a new library.
Dennis Girouard said taxes went up 8 percent last year and the police, fire and public works all have needs. He said the town is “scrounging” for parts for some equipment, “but is promoting a brand new library we don’t need.”
“I have no objections to a library but this doesn’t seem like a good time,” Girouard said.
Girouard also asked the board members individually their stance on the new library and all supported it.
“You can make an excellent case for one library, but I like the idea of two,” board member Ron Eberhardt said. “Both are pretty well-used and I don’t think this is an untenable burden.”
A public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6 in Plainfield.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
Correction
While Plainfield’s Town Meeting opens on Tuesday, March 12, the floor vote on a proposal to borrow up to $487,000 to build a new library in Meriden is slated for Saturday, March 16. An earlier version of this story gave the wrong date for when the actual vote is to be held.
