LETTER: JONES TRUSTEES HAVE TIME TO REVISE AND RESUBMIT THEIR APPLICATION FOR CPAC FUNDS
Jones Library. Photo Wikimedia Commons.
As I think about the Jones request for funding for the Special Collections space as part of the expansion project, I think the best course of action would be for CPAC to ask the Jones to go back to the drawing board and come back with two alternatives for next year’s cycle. One would apply to the expansion project in the case that it moves forward, and the other to improving the Special Collections environment within a repair/renovation project.
The Library Director has reportedly asked the MBLC to not award the grant until next summer so it is highly unlikely that this CPA funding would be used in the next 12 months. Therefore, there is no rush to approve it for FY21 as it would just be parked.
Separately, the Historical Commission and its chair Jane Wald have asked CPAC to permit the Jones to revise their proposal to provide more detailed budget information for HVAC, climate and fire suppression systems. This seems wise since there is an open question on whether the current proposal as written is allowable under the CPA. The application(s) can be revised for FY22 applications.
It seems that work on improving the climate environment of a space for the Special Collections would be an allowable CPA expense either in the case of an expansion or a repair/renovation.
Jennifer Page
Thank you, Jennifer! This makes good sense to me.
The Jones Library renovation in the 1960s added a second floor in what is now the Adult Reading Room. The expansion in the early 1990s took it out. However, restoring this second floor would precisely align with the existing back wall of the Special Collections archives area. It could conveniently add more than 1,600 square feet for Special Collections’ purposes, while staying within the Jones Library’s present footprint. This is worth investigating.