There is no scheduled Public meeting in which the Library Board will present its final vision of the to-be-built Library.

The Library Referendum established that a majority of 66 voting residents approved an expenditure of $20 million for the much needed expansion. However, this vote occurred after an extensive campaign of "information" sessions hosted by the Library Trustees.

The needs, the perceived needs of the Community, the dictated needs of the Community, all together, individually or any combination thereof, were freely and widely promoted by the Library Trustees as the vehicle to achieve a favorable response from taxpayers.

In my all too brief time spent looking at the building floor plans (5 minutes last night with the May version and 15 minutes looking at the February version -- and this only after an extensive battle to see them) I conclude that, what was presented to the Public to win their affection and support, is not the same Library as in now intented to be built.

In the commercial world this would be labeled "bait and switch".

Some examples:

Pre-referendum the Library said they need 160 parking spaces. The number is now 120.

Pre-referendum the Library said they would have a 225 seat auditorium. Now it is 140.

Roughly (at work and from memory) the number of seats in the existing "Reading Room" is around 36, the new "Reading Room" will have just 8 more.

Similarly and roughly, the existing "Study Area" contains a crowded 44 seats, the new area contains just 12.

I think the Public believes that a very important function of a Library is that it is a place which not only houses reference materials (unavailable for home checkout) but also provides a place to use them. Residents have always assumed, aided in this belief by the Library, that their children would be able to use the Library to learn, to do homework, to have the resources and environment so that their kids would get into good schools etc. Apparently, the Library has abandoned this purpose, the welfare of our children, and instead pursued the gaudier and flashier and "circulation as god" goal by chasing what used to be called "the lowest common denominator". This translates as lowering the bar in pandering to free dvd circulation, free cd circulation, the bestseller list of popular trash and, likely to follow, videogame purchases.

The square footage of our expanded Library has been squandered to appease the masses and not to serve our children. While (not such a contradiction read on) at the same time, the square footage for the children's room has expanded dramatically. Not from a real need basis to serve the children but to please their parents who won't see that in a few years beyond "storytime", the Library will be letting down these same but older children who will need the Library when the emphasis in the education process has shifted from merely filling their assigned seat quietly to achieving good grades.

In the coming weeks, I will, subject to their availability, be making detailed observations from the plans.

However, to what benefit to the Community will this effort serve if there is no public forum in which to have my and other residents opinions aired.

The Library Trustees do not intend to allow their intentions do be publicized and I do not have an advertising budget to create and deliver circulars or run advertisements.

The Library Trustees intend to run out the clock

until...

a fail-safe date is passed, the plans have been "locked" and already put out to bid and no changes other than construction driven "change orders" will be implemented.

I call upon Town Officials to have some semblance of respect for the Public which voted them into office and set up a special televised meeting with the Library Board, their Construction Team, the concerned Public and no time limits on dialogue.

The public hearings before the Zoning Board and the Planning Board do not concern themselves with what is inside the bricks.

And, when summer starts no one will be around.

So, this meeting should be in early June.

It is the last chance for the Public to have input and possibly assert useful design changes that may result in an improved Library which should be everyone's goal.

Tonight is the monthly meeting of the Library Board of Trustees. Give them something useful to discuss: what preparations should be made for this coming meeting.

Or applying the brakes to the project until this meeting can be set.

Hal Samis