AMHERST — Restoration of historic wood panels will be completed as part of the $46.1 million project to renovate and expand the Jones Library, but the work will not be supported with money from the town’s Community Preservation Act account.
The Town Council Monday, in a 7-4 vote, with two abstentions, voted against appropriating $330,000 from CPA, despite a favorable recommendation from the CPA Committee that reviews various funding requests.
A majority of councilors, however, rejected the spending citing concerns about violating provisions of the CPA, which states that money from that account can’t be used to supplant already appropriated money. Councilors also noted that they made a commitment to stay within a previous $15.8 million borrowing authorization from the general fund.
“We have better use for our CPA funds, our tax dollars, for housing, for school and town playgrounds, for recreation areas,” said District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen. “And to honor the no additional tax dollar public statement, and out of concern for supplanting, I will be voting no.”
Joining Schoen in voting against the CPA spending were At Large Councilor Ellisha Walker, District 4 Councilors Pam Rooney and Jennifer Taub, District 3 Councilor Heather Hala Lord, District 2 Councilor Amber Cano Martin and District 1 Councilor Jill Brevik.
Lord said she believes in a strong public library and having the beautiful, welcoming expanded space that will result from the project, adding that her no vote is not about being in alignment with those who made direct appeals to the Trump administration to strip money from the project.
“My concerns are grounded in governance, process and trust,” Lord said.
A memo from Kent Faerber and Lee Edwards, who co-chair the Jones Library Capital Campaign, explained the need for the money, even as the project being handled by Fontaine Brothers of Springfield is nearing the halfway point.
“The trustees are undertaking the preservation of this woodwork in response to the
overwhelming, loudly and consistently voiced wishes of Amherst voters that it should be done,” they wrote. “We hope the Town Council will respond similarly by supporting the work of the CPA Committee.”
Faerber said the vote was disappointing, especially as the potential for the building is emerging and Amherst residents continue to support the project as enthusiastically as ever.
“We will continue to execute the Capital Campaign plans we have had in place since the project became a certainty last summer,” Faerber said.
Edwards, who is an elected library trustee, thanked District 3 Councilor George Ryan for making a cogent and compelling case for granting the award, even though he wasn’t able to get a majority in favor.
“On the other hand, we’re encouraged by the support shown by Amherst residents and library patrons up to this point and our fundraising efforts this month alone have yielded cash contributions of more than $250,000,” Edwards said.
Ryan said the transformative project will be completed and a dedication will take place in 2027. But giving the library, originally opened in 1928, another 100 years of life means supporting the capital campaign, which has raised $9 million but needs to collect another $6.8 million to fulfill its commitment. If that threshold is not reached, library trustees have pledged to dip into the Jones Inc. endowment, which hovers between $8 million and $9 million, and is used to annually support operations.
Ryan pointed out that losing the CPA funding comes after the capital campaign already had a $1 million federal National Endowment for Humanities grant rescinded.
“I guess I would ask you to think who gets hurt in the end? The endowment is going to be put under greater strain,” Ryan said.
“In the long term, yes, the money will be raised. In the long term, yes, the damage will be undone,” Ryan added. “But in the short term, we’ll contribute our $330,000 to that damage. What’s the glory or honor in that?”
Others voting yes for the appropriation were Council President Mandi Jo Hanneke, At Large Councilor Andy Churchill and District 5 Councilor Sam MacLeod.
MacLeod said the CPA Committee made its recommendation based on an in-depth review, while Churchill said the question is the risk to the endowment.
“I just think the project is going to go ahead, the library will be built, but right now we’re making it just a little bit harder for the folks who are out there trying in a very difficult fundraising environment,” Churchill said.
Two councilors, District 2’s Lynn Greisemer and District 5’s Ana Devlin Gauthier abstained.
Griesemer said she worried a vote in favor would mean a lawsuit, observing the project has been tied up in court previously, which led to a townwide referendum, and has been a point of controversy since well before the first Town Council was seated in 2018.
“My biggest concern about this vote, is that if we vote yes, we’ll end up in court yet again, and it will cost the town even more money, more money than we could be sending to the library to help them reach their goals,” Griesemer said.
Devlin Gauthier said she was nervous about using CPA money even though town attorney KP Law provided an opinion that this is not supplanting other money. She said she appreciates that the library project team has had to scrap for every dollar and also had federal funds clawed back.
“And that has hurt the project, and ultimately that hurts the town,” Devlin Gauthier said.
But Devlin Gauthier said she couldn’t get past the worry that the historic woodwork is already in the existing contract with Fontaine.
