Petition Calling for An End to the Jones Library Demolition/Expansion Project Hits 1,000 Signatures.

Three out of Ten People Who Signed Said They Had Previously Supported the Project

Source: Save Our Library

A petition that is being circulated by a coalition of community groups calling for an end to the Jones Library demolition/expansion project has exceeded 1,000 signatures. The petition calls for an end to the flailing project and a pivot to a less expensive, repair only option.  

The Jones Library demolition/expansion project has been controversial since it was conceived over a decade ago. It has risen in cost from an estimated $36 million in 2021 to $46 million in 2023. It received only one general contractor bid in April 2024 that exceeded the authorized funds by nearly $7 million. The Amherst Town Manager rejected that bid as too expensive but project supporters have refused to concede and intend to put the project out to bid again in September 2024 after $1.5 million of “value engineering” changes are made  (see also here) to the design, predominantly from the switch to steel construction rather than cross laminated timber construction materials that was meant to decrease embodied carbon. Fundraising has lagged, with reimbursements to the Town still $900,000 in arrears, and total funds still to be secured exceeding $12 million (if a $46 million bid materializes) and $18 million (if a new bid is similar to the first). The project has lost nearly $2 million in historic tax credits (see also here)  because the design violated 5 of the 10 Standards of the Secretary of the Interior for Historic Rehabilitation; another $2 million of federal funding is at risk pending further historic and environmental review.

Opposition to the failing project has grown in the face of these many problems. Several Amherst residents who have been following the project closely started a petition to capture this sentiment and relate it to town leaders who have been told by project proponents that only a handful of people oppose the project. An on-line petition was initiated in late summer 2024 and paper petitions were added later. The petition allows signatories to express their opinions on three points:

• Do they oppose cuts to sustainability and historic features?
• Do they oppose the authorization of any additional funds beyond the $46 million?
• Do they want the demolition/expansion project to stop now and pivot to affordable repairs?

The online version offers the option to indicate if the signer had ever supported the project, and if so, what had changed their mind. It also allows the signer to share any other thoughts they have in free form.

Response to the petition has been enthusiastic, with many expressing thanks for the opportunity to share their opposition to the project. “To date, our outreach has been pretty informal”, said Arlie Gould of Save our Library. “We have been encouraged, though not surprised, by the number of people who originally supported the project but oppose it in its current incarnation.”  Mickey Rathbun, who has helped collect signatures on the paper version, said “The positive response to the petition suggests that there are many more supporters of the petition’s demands out there. But even this first thousand demonstrates that it is hardly a handful of “naysayers” who oppose the Jones project in its current form and that it is time for the town to seek a more sensible and affordable alternative.”

Of the more than 1,000 signatures collected to date, 95% were Amherst residents, the remaining being residents of surrounding communities and/or previous Amherst residents. Eighty four percent (85%) of signers want the demo/expansion project to stop immediately so that the town could pivot promptly to affordable repairs; 75% do not want any additional money directed toward the project; and 71% are against cuts to sustainability and historic preservation.

Three out of Ten People Said They Had Previously Supported the Project 
For the approximately 450 online respondents who opted to share, 69% said that they had never supported the project. The 31% of signers who had previously supported the project expressed the following reasons for changing their minds: 81% indicated the cost increase, 67% cited the negative impact on historic integrity, 65% cited the fundraising gap that the town would have to cover, and 56% said that the cuts to sustainability were part of the reason that they no longer support the project.

Additional signers are expected and the petition will remain open for anyone else who would like to sign and can be accessed at https://tinyurl.com/JonesPetition. Paper petitions will also continue to be available for those who would like to sign in this manner. 

Please contact Save Our Library (saveourlibrary.amh@gmail.com) with questions.