Gov. Healey Budget Cuts Hit Marlborough Library Project

MARLBOROUGH, MA — State budget cuts made by Gov. Maura Healey earlier this year will mean less state aid for Marlborough's recent $24 million library renovation.

Marlborough was in line to receive a $100,000 earmark for the library project this year, but the budget cuts halved that. Marlborough received the reduced $50,000 earmark at the end of February.

The reduction was part of $375 million in cuts Healey made after the state realized a $1 billion gap due to lower-than-expected tax revenues. Those cuts came under Chapter 9C, a state law that allows the governor to cut executive branch agency budgets without approval from the Legislature.

Marlborough's newly renovated library reopened at the beginning of October. Marlborough in 2019 borrowed about $23.7 million for the project, but the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program reimbursed the city about $10 million. The Marlborough Public Library Foundation raised close to $2 million for the project.

The renovation removed a 1960s-era addition and replaced it with a new one, adding close to 16,000 square-feet of space to the library. Some new amenities include a café, larger meetings rooms, an area for teens, a larger children's area and restoration of the building's historic features. The original building is a Carnegie library.

Healey's budget cuts also hit another Marlborough project: the governor cut a $45,000 grant for a "welcome to Marlborough" sign in Northborough to $22,500.