Report of the Ad Hoc Capital Committee

Background
This committee was charged with looking at the potential capital expenditures facing Granby over the next ten years.  We were asked to accomplish this by using, where possible, past studies of the buildings in Town, updated for current conditions, and informal cost estimates.  The purpose of this study is to give the Town a broad perspective on all the major capital expenditures the Town could resonably expect to be facing within in the next decade. 

We expect that there will be a relatively limited amount of funds tha taxpayers will make available for capital expenditures during this time.  This will not allow Granby to create ideal solutions to the Town's problems.

Furthermore, the sheer monetary cost of potential projects make it clear that the Town will have to find some solutions that in many instances are far from the ideal choices for the problems the Town faces.

 

Granby Public Library

The Granby Public Library is the municipal facility most in need.  The minimum recommended size for a Public Library for a Town with Granby’s population is 10,500 square feet.  The current library building has 2,500 square feet.  It was built through a Carnegie Grant in 1917 for a population of fewer than 1000 people, with a projected capacity of 5,000 volumes.  The Library building has remained fundamentally the same since 1917.  Today, ninety-three years later, Granby’s population is over 6000, and the same building with the same square footage serves as its Public Library, with a collection of approximately 27,000 volumes.  This insufficient space has had a definite impact on Library services.

The State of Massachusetts has agreed to support Granby in building a new Library with a grant of almost $1 million if Granby were able to include the Library in the secondary school building complex.  That particular plan has recently been rejected by the committee looking at the problems of the School buildings.

 

However, this indicates to us that the State is aware of the current situation, and that the Board of Library Commissioners has funds to support library construction.  Our estimate is that they would provide approximately a 50% reimbursement for a free-standing library building.  So a $2.0 million investment by the Town could build a library worth almost $4 million.

The Library’s current location at the end of the common does not lend itself to expansion.  The Town does not own enough land there to accommodate a larger building of the required size and provide the required parking.  Informal discussions with an architect have told us that it is very difficult to try to add to a Carnegie Library and have the addition blend into the original architectural design.  Additionally, the land itself, because of ledge, would not be easy to build on.  Those four problems, at least, would have to be overcome before an addition could be considered.  There would certainly be additional costs.

 

Another possibility has recently arisen.  With the purchase of a building for the Council on Aging, the Aldrich property will soon be available.  If the buildings currently on that property were razed, there could be enough room to locate an appropriately sized Library building and accommodate the necessary parking.

We would recommend that the Town explore locating a new Library building on the Aldrich property.  This could be a near-ideal solution for one of Granby’s larger capital problems.

 

The full text document of the Report of the Ad Hoc Capital Committee can be found down the page under "Trustee Meeting Minutes." 

 

Board of Trustees

Trustee Meetings

Held in the lower level of the library.

The next meeting is set for Monday, August 2nd. The group will be meeting promptly at 6:30 p.m.

Meeting Minutes

 

April 2009 Trustee Meeting Minutes
Posted on May 08 2009
Board of Trustees >>

Granby Free Public Library Trustee Meeting Minutes

 

 

 

Meeting Date:  April 6, 2009

 

Present:           Virginia Snopek, Dianne Barry, Carol Battersby, Leah Condon, Nancy Evren, Amy Kimball, Gwen Morrissey, Bridget Roy, Renee Still, Jennifer Crosby

 

Absent:            none

 

Visitors:          none

 

 

The meeting began at 6:40 pm.  Minutes from our previous meeting dated March 9, 2009 were read; Gwen made a motion to approve the minutes with corrections; Amy seconded this motion; all in favor.   Executive session minutes were also unanimously approved.

 

The first item on the agenda was an update on the installation of the fence.  Virginia e-mailed Police Chief Barry and Highway Dept Supervisor Dave Desrosiers.  Together, they mapped out where the fence will be installed.  Jenn contacted Digsafe.

 

Virginia contacted the video camera surveillance company about the faulty outdoor camera.  It has been replaced.

 

The Young Adult section of the library is taking shape.  However, more space is still needed for books.  Jenn contacted On the Level Builders to find out the cost of building another bookcase.  They estimated it at $475.  Carol made a motion seconded by Gwen that Virginia write a letter to On the Level Builders to go ahead with building and installing the bookcase.  All in favor.

 

Virginia, Jenn, Bridget and Jean did reference book weeding.  A few reference volumes should be updated.  Jenn discussed costs of replacing these volumes.  It was agreed that on April 18^th, Virginia, Renee and Jenn will go through the reference books again.

 

Renee updated the Board on the latest School Building Committee meeting.   SBC would like to go before the Town at the next Special Town Meeting to approve the hiring of the Owner’s Project Manager.  The OPM subcommittee whittled 8 bids down to 3; interviews will be conducted shortly.  Renee next explained the publicity effort, to include a mass mailing of an informational handout.

 

Virginia and Jenn calculated that the library to date has spent $6,688.82 preparing and submitting the MBLC construction grant.  A motion was made by Bridget, seconded by Gwen that we provide to the SBC publicity committee this cost for inclusion in the informational flyer.  All in favor.

 

A motion was made by Dianne and seconded by Leah that we suggest to the SBC publicity committee that the actual amount of the MBLC grant award ($988,483.00) be included in the flyer.  All in favor.

 

The educational complex informational meeting will be scheduled for late April.  Virginia will e-mail the Board with the date.

 

Next on the agenda, Virginia informed the Board that the MBLC would like an update on the status of the community library for their records.  She completed and returned the Construction Survey Document to the MBLC.

 

Discussion of the creation of a Volunteer Coordinator followed.  Virginia asked Carol if she had an idea on how to proceed with this.  Suggestions were given by the group on how to go about recruiting volunteers, what do we need them to do, arranging time slots, and conducting CORI checks.  Carol is willing to undertake the task of coordinator and creating this volunteer coordinator position.  Jenn and Carol will present a working document at our next meeting.

 

The annual Town Meeting is scheduled for May 11^th.  Amy and Carol have volunteered to provide information if questions should come up regarding the community library.

 

Leah will work with Janice to complete the Plan-o-gram for the Children’s Room books.  The computer desks presently used downstairs will be replaced.  One long computer table will be installed with a shelf mounted to the wall above that for the printer.

 

Librarian’s Report:  Jenn updated the Board on how the new circulation desk scheduling was going.  Discussion followed.

 

Jenn, along with all the town department heads, attended a personnel meeting on how to conduct the new performance appraisals.

 

A new bookdrop is in the works.  Friends of the Library President Marty Jewett has been in discussion with Florence Savings Bank to provide funding for a new bookdrop bin.  Nancy made a motion seconded by Dianne that we install signage on the new bookdrop that it was donated by Florence Savings Bank.  All in favor.

 

The Book and Bake Sale is scheduled for April 25^th from 9 am to 3 pm.  Volunteers are still needed.

 

 

The next Trustees meeting will be Monday, May 4th at 6:30pm. 

 

Warrant items in the amounts of $6,969.87 and $1,754.66 were unanimously approved. 

 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 pm.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

 

 

Nancy C. B. Evren

Secretary

 

Last changed: May 08 2009 at 3:47 PM

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