Mediator Hopes to Heal 'Wounds' Over Library

A professional mediator will meet with all sides of the issue next month in hopes of dissolving bad feelings and moving to a resolution.

Representatives of the former North Grafton and South Grafton libraries, which were closed in recent years for budgetary reasons, will be invited, Town Administrator Timothy P. McInerney said.

Concerns about those closings and the subsequent loss of space and resources were raised during the debate about the potential expansion of the current library. Some have questioned why, even as library trustees say the library needs more room, two branches were closed in recent years.

The expansion issue failed by a large margin in December. The Grafton Public Library Planning and Building Committee was formed after the defeat to look at the future of the library.

Something has to be done, or the town will face fines of $2,000 per day from the state because of inaccessibility issues, the state has said.

“There are open wounds we need to address,’’ selectman Brook Padgett, who serves on the library committee, said.

The meeting is scheduled to be held June 21 at the South Grafton Community House. A time has not yet been set.