Letter to the Editor: Doubts Overcome, Library Supported

Having lived in Grafton all my life, I knew Grafton when it was still a farm town, and I usually don't go for big builds, and I would have to be one of the more frugal people around, too.

Also, as many of you may recall, I stood up at the Town Meeting and stated that I was not sold on the proposed plans yet...that I wanted a lot more info than what had been given to that point. My main concern wasn't with the cost of the build, so to say, as much as it was the post-build expenses that this gigantic library, for our town of just over 18,000 residents, would come out to.

I was also very unimpressed with the iffy presentation of possible donations and fund-raising that the library presented up till that night. At the last Town Meeting, yes, I was really against it, because the library had not presented, openly, an acceptable case to support its desired build, and did not offer enough, in my opinion, to the taxpayers who would fund it.

But, I am one who is very much in support of citizens doing their homework, and informing themselves with all and any information that can be had, especially where one can contact, or sit down with people from both sides of an issue to be voted on. And, I did so, myself. After a few detailed, lengthy conversations with a few members of the Library Trustees, not least of which, Diane Libbey herself, as well as her husband, David, I have decided that this project is, actually, a good deal for Grafton, and hardly as financially monstrous as some of the other recent builds our town has undertaken.

For starters, let's discuss how the $11M+ will be chopped down to size: If Grafton votes yes on Tuesday, we will receive the state grant of $5.6M. This will leave Grafton with $6.6M to pay toward the project itself. The library already has roughly $800G in donations promised to the project, if it is approved on Tuesday. That is with roughly 20 wealthy residents having been approached by the Trustees...there are many more that could likely jump on board after a yes vote, not to mention the limited industry we do have here in Grafton.

If even only an additional $200G is received beyond the $800G, that will have dropped the $6.6M down to $5.6M, which would be all the taxpayer would end up paying taxes on. (The grant money is used first, then a loan is taken out for what is needed after that. A yes vote won't be committing the town to $6.6M right then, but only what it will need when the grant is used up. After a yes vote, the trustees will continue fund-raising.).

This $5.6M is less than what the Town would have had to have paid out of pocket had we only doubled the size of the library all by ourselves. Here, we'll get library space to truly expand with, not to mention meeting all the codes, and a safer/greener library (less expensive monthly).

In addition to all of this, the added taxes from the library build wont come into play until 2014, when a number of the other big builds will be paid off. Now, speaking of the post-build expenses: The library's current, monthly expenses are roughly between $56G and $74G a month. With some math, figuring the rate of inflation as well, at the moment, we're talking about, roughly, $80G additional to the monthly expense, which, figures to a little over $156G a month, total.

But, that doesn't count library monthly fund-raising efforts, regular donations, fees collected from various services offered above and beyond regular business hours by the library, as well as any incentives from the government because of the green features and modernized, ADA-compliant facility.

So, with plenty of town spirit, we could possibly even reduce the rough taste of the additional expenses to an even more digestible number. This doesn't even take into consideration more growth of the town, the more residents, the less the burden.

One matter that concerned me a great deal, also, was hearing about a possible cafe in the library. I am a pro-business man, and all for more small businesses and other industry coming into Grafton, and the idea of a cafe in the library didn't sit well with me, especially since there are at least two other cafe-like businesses right up near the library that would be affected by this.

While sitting down with Ms. Libbey last week to go over the plans as illustrated, I asked about this rumored cafe. She showed me two places she thinks confusion may have taken place from the drawings. There are two areas where the library will have a coffee machine available to the public. One is for use at functions: If there's a meeting, or special program, snacks and coffee can be offered by the hosts (not the library).

The other area is a special room that the Trustees would like to have, where there will be free coffee offered to the public, where people can sit down, have a cup of coffee, and read a little before checking a book out from the library. Neither area will be a retail or cafe kind of function area. So, there will be no cafe in the library expansion.

So, in the end, when all is said and done, the numbers add up to a great deal for Grafton, and a perfect chance to finally take one more project that has been a "kick the can'' item for so many years off that notorious list, and have it done. It will be a great addition to our town, and a very useful space for numerous groups to utilize.

I hope that you will join me, on Tuesday, Dec. 13 in voting yes, and vastly improving the available resources our town has to offer residents.

Vote. Your vote does count.

James Walsh III

South Grafton resident, Planning Board Member