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

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

  Granby Free Public Library Trustee Meeting Minutes 
 
 

Meeting Date:  March 9, 2009 

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

Absent: Renee Still 

Visitors: Marty Jewett, Friends of the Granby Library, Janice McArdle, Youth Services Librarian, Candace   Gagnon 
 

The meeting began at 6:40 pm.  Minutes from our previous meeting dated February 2, 2009 were read; Amy made a motion to approve the minutes with corrections; Gwen seconded this motion; all in favor.  

A review of the budget began the meeting (see attachments).  This year, the Town Admin requested that all departments submit 2 budgets for Fiscal Year 2010: one with a 0% increase, another with a 5% decrease.  The budgets also include salary increases of Step + 2% increase.  The State has also reduced Grant –In-Aid by 15% for next year.  Virginia explained the proposed budgets that have been drawn up.  Discussion followed.  During this discussion, Carol suggested that one way to avoid loss of customer service would be to create a volunteer coordinator position that would help resolve shortages for the next fiscal year.  This idea will be revisited.  Dianne made a motion that we submit the two budgets as written.  This was seconded by Gwen.  All in favor. 

Another letter was sent to Chris Martin regarding the establishment of a Library Pavilion Revolving Fund.  This fund will be voted on at the next annual town meeting.  It was suggested that the library contact The Republican and other area newspapers with a press release announcing that the pavilion is available for rent. 

Carol and Jenn attended the most recent School Building Committee meeting.  Jenn stated that an Owner’s Project Manager needs to be hired and the focus of the project has changed once again to just the Jr./Sr. High School.  A subcommittee was formed and will meet Wednesday March 16 at 6 pm at the high school to promote publicity.  The next SBC meeting will be April 1 at 6 pm. 

Regarding the letter sent to Chris Martin on updating the trustees on available funds, Chris Martin informed Virginia that all this is currently available on a monthly “report of expenditures” printout.  Jenn presently receives this quarterly. 

The CW/MARS Brown Wrapper newsletter had an article on the newly formed Teen Advisory Board. 

The Young Adult area has been painted and shelves delivered.  Letters were sent to the bidders (see attachments).  Chuck Mercier has volunteered to donate carpeting for the Young Adult area.  Amy made a motion with Carol seconding that the shelves be painted.  Local resident Dianna Sands will be contacted for this.  All in favor. 

Leah brought the Board up to date on the backlog of cataloguing: it is caught up.  Virginia asked Leah if she would be able to work her magic on the shelves downstairs because she is doing such an amazing job with cleaning up the shelving situation upstairs.   

Virginia and Janice presented the Board with an updated Children’s Room Shelving procedure.  Nancy will help Janice create a “plan-o-gram” of the shelving layout. 

Next on the agenda, what to do with old newspaper clippings, the bird display case, two donated old books and the old wooden library chairs.  Nancy made a motion, seconded by Amy that we retain the old newspaper albums and recycle the loose clippings.  The albums will be held in a tote to be stored in the shed.  All in favor. 

Janice presented to the Board the display case.  She asked us what could be done with it because the case is falling apart, and the lack of space in the library prohibits us from properly displaying these stuffed local birds.  Carol volunteered to contact the Springfield Museum to see if they would be interested or if they could assist us. 

Two old books were donated to the library; one was valued at $75 on e-Bay.  Carol and Leah suggested that we research the value of some of the donated older books to see if it is beneficial to the library to sell them on e-Bay.  This will be tabled for later discussion. 

Lastly on the “what to do with it” list are the old wooden chairs.  Nancy contacted a furniture refurbisher who stated that the chairs should be retained because of the quality of workmanship in these institutional chairs, and the turn-of-the-century value.  It was decided that the library chairs will be kept.  When they will be refurbished will be discussed at a later time. 

Librarian’s Report:  Jenn will send articles to the Council on Aging for its monthly Granbee newsletter. 

The annual town report was approved and submitted. 

A letter was received from MBLC with the second installment of the state aid.  There will be a third installment. 

Mark Urban has not contacted us regarding laptops.  A letter was sent out asking if it is still a possibility to receive donated used laptops from MassMutual. 

The surveillance project has been completed.  Cameras have been installed along with an outdoor intercom at the downstairs back door. 

Waste Management met with Jenn and Marty to discuss an Earth Day activity to replace the postponed Christmas function.  The date and what activities are still in the works.  They will try to incorporate WM in the Book and Bake Sale. 

A suggestion was made by one of the patrons to reposition the circulation desk to a more visible location in the back, center of the upstairs.  This idea was discussed and the idea of moving the circulation desk has been tabled.  Another idea of instituting the fishing pole program was also tabled due to space constraints. 

At 8:46 pm, the Board voted to move to Executive Session.  Marty and Candace were asked to leave.  At 9:45, the Board came out of Executive Session. 

The next Trustees meeting will be Monday, April 6 at 6:30pm.  Warrant items in the amounts of $682.49 and $498.45 were unanimously approved.  The meeting was adjourned at 9:48 pm. 

Respectfully Submitted, 
 

Nancy C. B. Evren

Last changed: May 08 2009 at 3:48 PM