Letter: Vote No on Additional Borrowing for Jones Library Expansion
Jones Library, showing part of the 1993 addition that is slated to be demolished. Photo: Art Keene
The following letter was sent to the Amherst Town Council on December 15, 2023.
On Monday December 18, please vote NO to adding an additional $9.1 million to the current $15.8 million approved by voters in 2021 to renovate the Jones.
A NO Vote is the most financially responsible option given the recent discovery that there are not adequate contingency funds in the project budget, the fact that voters are not being allowed to vote on this exorbitant borrowing amount, along with other high priority needs for a school and fire station in the queue that will burden Amherst taxpayers sooner than later.
It’s not too late to redesign the Jones to fit the realities of the currently pledged and earmarked funds budgeted for the project. Also, given the way this process has played out, what is the chance the council will need to borrow more money as the bidding process proceeds?
Kathleen Carroll
Kathleen Carroll is a resident of Amherst
Thank you, Kathleen Carroll, for writing to ask voters to reject borrowing more money for the library.
If one needs to catch up on the library saga of deceptive verbal assurances, repeatedly contradicted as new/omitted facts have, belatedly, emerged, coupled with constant attempts to rush decisions, one need only read the columns of this week’s Indy on the library for a representative sample.
There are lots more to be found tn Jeff Lee’s past columns.
Please do not support a project that will monopolize Amherst’s budget for the forseeable future.