Gutting Jones’ Historic Millwork Violates Preservation Law

The following letter was sent to the Amherst Town Council on June 16, 2024

As the immediate past President of the Jones Library Board of Trustees, I thank Councilors Robert Hegner, Heather Hala Lord, Pam Rooney, Cathy Schoen, Jennifer Taub, and Ellisha Walker for sensibly voting to proceed with a repair option for the Jones Library instead of with the proposed demolition/expansion project.

Thus I urge all Councilors to support Councilor Schoen’s motion to spend no more money for redesign based on so-called “value” engineering for this project.

Library Trustee Bob Pam is the most qualified Treasurer that the Library Trustees have had since I’ve been involved. I have always observed him to be sober, thoughtful, and willing to stand by his professional financial judgment, regardless of how Trustees with fewer or no financial qualifications have voted.

I understand that he now deems this project financially unviable.

In this connection, I point out that the architects’ new “value” engineering proposal, to save $1,000,000 by removing and discarding the Library’s historic, hand-carved millwork, runs afoul of both the Massachusetts and the federal historic preservation laws.

I am therefore confident in saying that this would not only breach the Town’s construction grant contract with the MBLC, but would violate the terms of any federal grant.

So this “value” engineering appears to make the project even less viable, financially, than Bob Pam had concluded.

Sarah McKee

Sarah McKee was an Amherst resident for more than 20 years. She is a former President of the Jones Library Trustees, and is a member of the D.C. Bar.

I urge you to do the right thing by both the Library and the Town. End this unviable project now.