By Marianne Sullivan, Source Senior Staff
Writer:
Advocates for the
proposed expansion of the E.C. Scranton Memorial Library have organized and
launched an information campaign meant to inform Madison residents about the proposed
expansion and encourage support for the referendum question to be placed on the
Nov. 4 ballot.
The coalition is
called Library-Yes and it has introduced a website, www.libraryyes.info. The
group’s mission is to inform Madison
residents “of the many benefits of the expansion.” On Nov. 4, when residents go
to the polls to vote in this presidential election, they will also be asked to
approve a $13.3 million bond issue to allow Scranton Library to proceed with
the expansion.
Do you have
questions about the library’s plans? Find the design drawings and plans on the
website. Read the “top 10 reasons why Madison
needs a better library.” Discover the answers to 15 of the most frequently
asked questions about the expansion–everything from “Why does the project cost
so much?” to “How much will my tax bill go up?” Learn how to get an absentee
ballot. The website contains much more information.
John Brady, a
Library-Yes founder, said many of the questions he receives lately ask why the
town should consider a large construction project in this difficult economic
time.
“I answer with what
I call the Warren Buffett approach, which is to take the long term view.
Scranton Library has served this community through many difficult times–the Great
Depression, two world wars, and more. This is an economic cycle, as Buffett
would say, that provides a great economic opportunity.”
Brady said
construction firms are now hungry for work and the library can benefit from
strong competition.
“This is actually a
window of opportunity and when the bonding is actually necessary a few years
from now, the economy will be on the upswing and we will benefit from that as
well,” he said.
There is often
misinformation that surrounds larger projects, and the Scranton expansion is typical, Library-Yes
explained. The coalition’s role is to help provide information on the needs for
the expansion and the benefits it can provide if approved.
“The library’s
exciting plans for restoration and expansion represent an historic opportunity.
Built to serve Madison for decades to come, the
renewed library will be the engine for Madison’s
cultural, social, and economic development,” said Jeff Keeler, one of the
group’s founders.
The library’s Board
of Trustees, in its presentations to the community over the past years, has
said, “The E.C. Scranton Memorial Library is the one public institution that
serves every group in Madison
from toddler to senior.” The existing building, the trustees have said, is over
capacity and has issues with handicapped access and public safety. It was built
in an era for a smaller population and does not have room of the infrastructure
to provide the services that communities now expect from libraries–quiet
reading rooms, meeting spaces, and more computers.
The library plans
call for 59 parking spaces–now there are zero, Library-Yes points out–a book
pick-up and drop-off window, attractive new public areas, a much enlarged
children’s room, and green construction. The library trustees have already
raised more than $2 million from private donations for the project and will
fund 25 percent of the total cost.
What will a new
library cost? Library-Yes says, “The cost for the average Madison household amounts to 25 cents per
day. Thanks to increased efficiencies and better energy conservation, operating
costs are projected to increase only 15 percent.”
On Nov. 4 exactly
what will Madison
residents and property owners be asked to vote for? This is the exact wording
of the referendum issue: “Shall the town of Madison appropriate $13,300,000 for
costs related to a $13,100,000 grant to the E.C. Scranton Memorial Library for
additions, renovations, and improvements to the library building and authorize
the issue of bonds and notes to finance the appropriation?”
For more
pro-expansion information, visit www.libraryyes.info.