PUBLIC HEARINGS ON LIBRARY RENOVATION AND POLICE BUDGET CUTS

JONES REPAIRS ESTIMATED TO COST $14.4-$16.8 MILLION

RESIDENTS DEMAND 52% REDUCTION IN POLICE BUDGET

The Town Council conducted a joint hearing with the Jones Library Board of Trustees on Monday, July 13,  focusing on the costs of renovations and repairs to the Jones Library.  Immediately following that hearing the Council  held a joint public hearing  with the Finance Committee focusing on citizen requests to reduce the police budget. The hearings were conducted via Zoom webcast and broadcast simultaneously on Amherst Media Channel 17. 

Joint Hearing With the Library Trustees
Participating: All Town Councilors except Evan Ross (District 4) and Sarah Swartz (District 1). All Library Trustees except Christopher Hoffman

The Town Council and Jones Library trustees were joined by 28 virtual attendees to hear Aelan Tierney, president of Kuhn, Riddle Architects present on the costs for making necessary repairs to the library and bringing it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board regulations.

Prior to the presentation, Council President Lynn Griesemer (District 2) stated that there would be no questions or discussions allowed regarding the cost to renovate, not just repair, the existing building . Other topics that would not be discussed were rearranging space within the library, sustainability issues, the cost of expanding programming, or what the Town Council will do in the future concerning the library.

 In 2017, Western Builders, Inc. evaluated the building for needed repairs and upgrades.  This included replacing the leaking skylight, replacing the south elevator, interior improvements, mechanical, electrical and plumbing improvements, structural improvements, and exterior improvements.  The 2017 proposal, however, did not include making the building accessible. 

At the July 13 hearing, Kuhn, Riddle provided an estimate of what it would cost to make the building accessible with two possible plans to accomplish the required renovations. ADA  and MAAB requirements are triggered when the cost of any renovation project is greater than 30 percent of the assessed value of the property. The Jones Library is assessed by the Town at $19,196,000, and 30% of that is about $5.7 million.

Tierney offered two options. The first is a three-stage operation that would require the library to be closed for a total of 82 weeks during phase 1 and 3, meaning two moves out of the building. The total cost over six years would be $16.8 million. The advantage would be doing the lower cost repairs first, so as not to trigger the ADA requirements until the third phase.  The second option is a two-stage process over four years which would require the library to be closed for 52 weeks and would necessitate only one move.  The total cost of that option would be $14.4 million.

Kuhn Riddle was not asked to give suggestions on better use of existing space or increasing energy sustainability with more energy efficient heating and cooling systems.

Steve Schreiber (District 4) asked about air quality in the renovated building, especially with regard for air filtration systems to make buildings safe during and after the coronavirus pandemic.  Tierney answered that there are no clear data about that issue at this time, and that this could be an important consideration, but that  more information is needed about coronavirus and the role of heating and air conditioning systems in its spread.  Cathy Schoen (District 1) and Pat DeAngelis (District 2) asked about reconfiguring the space in the library to provide accessibility to the third floor with a better elevator. Dorothy Pam (District 3) asked what was being done about the water leaking on the Special Collections. Library Director, Sharon Sharry, said this is a frequent problem when the weather gets hot and the air conditioning leaks. There is only one technician who can repair the outdated system, and he was working on the problem at the time of the meeting. 

George Ryan (District 3)asked about what the next steps will be?

 Library Trustee President Austin Sarat answered that the Trustees are waiting for the sustainability estimates from Finegold Alexander Architects and will then present the figures to the Town.  

Despite there being over 20 attendees watching the presentation, there were no comments from the public.  The hearing adjourned at 7 PM, and the public hearing on the budget began after a short break.

Joint Hearing with The Finance Committee
Participating (in addition to Council members):all voting members of the Finance Committee and Robert Hegner, nonvoting member.  Town Manager Paul Bockelman and Town Finance Director Sean Mangano. 

The hearing began with Bockelman and Mangano presenting a summary of the proposed FY 21 budget. 

As noted at previous budget meetings, the proposal consists of a 2.8 percent decrease from the 2020 budget for a total of $81,133,439. All departments are level funded and capital spending is cut in half. The budget assumes level funding from the State, which has not yet released its budget. Additions to this year’s budget include $80,000 to combat systemic racism, $62,000 for additional software, $75,000 for necessary broader insurance coverage, and $12,000 to the Town Council for recording of minutes. 

Following the presentation, 26 residents spoke in 2-minute allotted spots. All but one spoke in support of a 52%, or $2.7 million, decrease in funding for the police department.  These residents represented The Pioneer Valley Workers Center, the Racial Equity Task Force, and Defund 413 .  They advocated for greater spending on human services and education, and many stressed that profiling of people of color by the police is common in Amherst. Dee Shabazz,  co-founder of the Racial Equity Task force said:

“As a person of color living within this community, I have witnessed and experienced first-hand, unnecessary questioning and surveillance by the police. My family and friends of color have been profiled and even worse their underage children of color especially my own as well as their sons have been questioned and profiled by police in Amherst. One of my friends has a son who has been stopped and questioned no less than 15 times without arrest, or a ticket. These friends hesitate to come forward because of a fear of further calling attention to themselves and their loved ones.

There has been very little follow up when people have complained and often times my friends of color do not want to lodge an official complaint because they represent vulnerable communities of non-English speakers, immigrants, and people of color in general. These communities feel the brunt of poor training and embedded structural racism and know all too well that there is a thin veneer of welcome just below the surface for BIPOC persons who are most often profiled and followed.”

Links to the individual statements presented to the Council in favor of the cuts by the following individuals can be found below:

Rick Last
Megan Lieff
Gazit Chaya Nkosi
Dee Shabazz

Amherst resident Alexander Blount was the only speaker who did not advocate for a decrease in the police budget. He stated that while he agreed with the sentiment of the other speakers, he said he knew many of the police officers and their families personally and could not imagine them acting in the horrible ways of recent police brutality across the country. He felt that a large budget cut would inhibit the police department from performing valuable services.

Councilors did not respond to any of the comments offered, but expressed thanks to those who spoke. Unless the Town Council approves another one month budget ( and there has been no mention of doing so) the FY 21 budget must be approved at the next Council meeting on July 20. That meeting will be broadcast on Zoom and by Amherst Media on Channel 17.