Money for Library Land Purchase Could be Removed

Funds approved five years ago to purchase land behind the Grafton Public Library should remain on the table for possible library expansion, library trustees told selectmen last night.

Library trustees said a deal to buy the land is imminent and urged selectmen to have patience with the process.

The trustees asked selectmen to remove an article from the Town Meeting warrant that calls to rescind the $800,000 approved by Town Meeting in 2006 to purchase the property at 4 and 6 Upton St.

Selectmen said the money should be rescinded because the property has yet to be purchased after five years.

Selectman chairman Brook Padgett said the board has been told before that a sale was happening soon, but the land has yet to be secured. “We’ve been down this road many times,’’ he said.

Library trustee Judith Meichelbeck agreed that time has passed, but urged the board to hold off on the article. Removing this money, library trustee Henry Poler said, would be “taking the rug right out under the library.’’

The proposed library expansion has a price tag of $11 million, with $5 million sought from the state. The town should hear in June whether it has been approved for this money.

If not, she said, the current project would not go forward.

Meichelbeck also questioned why the article appeared on the same warrant as a request for the town to approve the preliminary design for the expansion.

If voters rescinded the money, future expansion would not happen so the design warrant would be moot, the trustees said.

Padgett said he would “love to pass over’’ the article, which would happen if a purchase was made prior to May 9 Town Meeting.  Passing over the article means it would not be considered for a vote.

But he said it was too early to remove it completely without a purchase deal in place.

Selectmen did agree to move the expansion request ahead of the article seeking to rescind the money.

This would give library supporters the chance to make their case prior to the request to rescind the money allocated for the land, selectmen said.