Oppose the purchase of the library building by the Town as part of a plan to move the library to the town park
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At the end of 2006, the Town Board proposed to the Library Board that they abandon plans to expand at the current location and instead move the library to the Town Park. The Town would provide land for a new library building, and purchase the original building for $1.25 million for use as town office space.
It is the contention of the initiators of this petition that moving the library to the Town Park is not in keeping with the best interests of the town and that the expansion project should proceed at the existing South Salem site as was originally intended.
Moving the library is contrary to the Town Master Plan which calls for development to focus on the hamlet centers.
Residents who can currently walk or bike to the town campus to do business at the post office and pick up a book at the library would have limited access options on the busy Route 35 corridor. We should be reinforcing and improving such livability features in our hamlets, not eliminating them.
The library still has to raise $1-to-$2 million to fully fund the projected $6-to-$7 million total cost. The $2 million or so that that the town would need to outfit the existing building as offices is beyond this and would have to be funded with a bond. These expenses would be questionable at any time, and are more so in the current economic atmosphere.
The bond for purchase of the existing library building would be subject to referendum, and therefore is the focus of this petition.
[To potiential signatories - for more background, go to LibraryExpansion.nexo.com]
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