Town Council Defeats Proposal to Rescind Borrowing for Jones Library Expansion: Paves the Way for Town Manager to Sign Construction Contract

Report on the Special Meeting of the Amherst Town Council, April 14, 2025

This meeting was recorded.

At a special meeting of the Amherst Town Council on April 14, 2025, the council defeated a motion to rescind the $46 million in borrowing for the Jones Library expansion project by a vote of 3–9. Councilors Jennifer Taub (District 4), Pam Rooney (District 4), and Ellisha Walker (at large) voted for the rescission. Hala Lord (District 3) was absent.

Taub, Cathy Schoen (District 1), and Bob Hegner (District 5) called for the special council meeting because of concerns about financing the project, including that the the escalating national economic turmoil has not been considered in cost calculations and that significant details such as the cost of the new roof had not been rebid yet.  Also of concern was how the town would pay for the project and whether the Jones Capital Campaign would be able to raise their share of the costs. Schoen and Hegner said they were reassured by the data provided shortly before the meeting by Town Manager Paul Bockelman and the Jones Library Trustees, and although both continued to feel that the project still posed a risk to the town, they voted to not rescind the previously authorized borrowing and to support Town Manager Paul Bockelman in signing the contract with the builder.

if the library cannot pay its share, the town would have to pick up the difference.  The town could “try to get the library to pay,”  Town Attorney Lauren Goldberg said, but ultimately the town“ is on the hook for the whole amount.”

In response to councilor questions, Town Attorney Lauren Goldberg of K-P Law said that even though the signed Memorandum of Understanding between the town (which must borrow the full cost of the project up front) and the library (which caps the town’s contribution at $15.8 million) is a binding legal document, if the library cannot pay its share, the town would have to pick up the difference.  The town could “try to get the library to pay,”  she said, but ultimately the town“ is on the hook for the whole amount.”

She added that the town can only spend the $46 million that the town has been authorized to borrow for it. If the cost rises above that amount, the town must  vote to borrow more.  Amherst’s capital project manager Bob Pereint noted that if costs were more than budgeted and the contingency fund was exhausted, changes to make the project more affordable would need to be discussed widely.  

In addition to a new document answering councilors’ questions, Bockelman prepared a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate the feasibility of the project. He stated that the low bidder, Fontaine Brothers of West Springfield, was standing by its construction bid from November 2024 of $35 million and that conversations with staff from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) indicated that the $2.1 million in federal grants awarded to the project were still valid, despite retraction of many federal grants by the Trump administration. This includes reports that all NEH grants had been cancelled as of last week. Bockelman said the project is not contingent on the federal grants, but their loss would increase the amount of money the trustees would have to raise. They have committed to raise $13 million. He noted that if the project did not go ahead, the town would be liable for all repair costs, instead of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) contributing a $15 million grant. Bockelman asserted that if the project costs more than the $46 million in borrowing authorized, it would be up to the Town Council to decide whether to borrow more. 

Bockelman reported that the slate roof will be put out to bid in June and that all but two of the sub-bidders (plumbing and metal windows) have agreed to abide by the bids they submitted in November. Bockelman expects the $3 million in contingency costs to cover these and any other increase in costs that arise during construction.

Jones Library Treasurer Nat Larson assured the councilors that the library could provide its share through fundraising and its endowment. He said that the trustees had moved $4.5 million of the $9 million endowment. Paid head of the capital campaign Ginny Hamilton said that fundraising expenses have come to $125,000 per year, or eight percent of the trustees’ fundraising obligation and are paid by the Friends of the Jones Library, not the capital campaign.

In stating his support of the project, Bockelman said that rescinding the borrowing would stop the project. The town would need to return the $2.7 million it received from the MBLC with interest and pivot to a repair plan, which he estimated would take 6 to 18 months and cost up to $1 million to develop, and that  repairing the library would most likely cost the town more than its share of the larger project. 

Bockelman claimed that the library expansion has been a priority of the town for over a decade; that the project is fiscally sound and within budget; that because of grants, the town would be getting $2 for every $1 it spends; and that stopping the project would hurt the town’s reputation and be disrespectful to our state and federal elected representatives, who used their influence to get additional funding. From his perspective, he said, it is time to move forward.

Public Comment
Two hours of public comment was offered by 61 residents. There were about 250 residents listening on Zoom. No in-person attendance was allowed. Most of the supporters of the project cited the importance of libraries in their lives, and the importance of the Jones Library and its programs to Amherst. They said that the building should be modernized to meet the library’s needs and improve accessibility. Several commenters said they had pledged to the capital campaign and intended to honor their pledges whenever called upon to do so. 

Opponents of the expansion stressed the economic turmoil enveloping the country that will inevitably, they believe, drive up costs, and the dismal underperformance of the Capital Campaign to date. Most expressed a belief that financial and other circumstances have dramatically changed since Trump took office and that the project was no longer affordable. Some asserted that there is enough space in the current library to accommodate the town’s needs and that a repair project would be more prudent, given  the growing uncertainty about the ultimate costs of the larger project. Many called attention to declining in-person use of libraries and the more pressing costs of other capital projects, such as the public schools, a new fire station, and a new DPW building. Nearly all expressed concerns that the escalating costs of the library project would prevent the town from addressing other pressing needs, especially those of the schools and roads.

Andy Steinberg (at large) admitted that the DPW building was much more in need of replacement than the library. But, he said, the MBLC grant had strict time limits and, even with three extensions, the construction contract must be signed by April 30 or the town will lose the grant and cannot reapply for 30 years.

Schoen and Hegner Flip
After the public comment period, Schoen and Hegner said they appreciated the information on financing supplied earlier that day by the town staff and the Jones trustees, although they still felt the project was risky, especially with regard to  tariffs, as well as inflation and supply chain disruptions. Hegner also noted the town’s other capital needs, and said, “Let’s try to set our acrimony over the library in the past, and let’s focus on the problems that are facing the town as we go forward. “

However, Taub, Rooney, and Walker still felt that the project puts the town at far too great of a risk, especially with regard to tariffs on construction materials and the retraction of previously awarded federal grants. They are also concerned about the degree of unknowns in the costs of the project. Walker said she was conflicted about the decision because of all the time people have devoted to planning the project. She pointed out that the council had inherited the project and noted that she has been concerned about its cost even when the predicted total was $10 million less. She was not satisfied that the council has an accurate cost prediction and believed that proceeding anyway is not the best decision for the town.

Taub said, “I appreciate having the information [about financials provided earlier in the day] although I wish it hadn’t taken the call for a special meeting. Without this meeting the council would only have learned, after the construction contract was signed, the amount that will commit a huge chunk of the town’s resources and impact our financial decisions for a long time. A member of the capital campaign acknowledged that the total needed from independent fundraising exceeds almost three times the amount raised in any previous capital campaign in Amherst, and that it uncomfortably stretches the limit of what we think is possible.” 

She continued, “I will be supporting the motion to rescind from the conviction that we can repair the Jones as our other community resources and even fundraising allows. I would like to see us direct more funds sooner than we otherwise could do to repairing our roads, and schools,and building a new DPW and fire station that we desperately need.”

Rooney added, “I appreciated the information, but I am still of the feeling that it is in the best interest of the taxpayers of the town and just performance of good government to change direction and vote against advancing this particular library expansion project any further. We are in a time of extreme change. Federal money is in jeopardy and construction costs are changeable. What I don’t want is the library to become an albatross around our neck despite everyone’s best efforts.”

Mandi Jo Hanneke (at large), on the other hand, urged the councilors to trust the library trustees’ promise that they will raise the funds they committed to, and to let Bockelman evaluate and sign the contract in his role as Town Manager. 

Jones Trustee President Austin Sarat made a speech saying that there were committed people on both sides of the issue and that he hoped the town would move on from the controversy and work together. “It takes patience finding the good in someone else even when they annoy you,” he said. “We’re advocates for the town and we have a vision which is different from yours.”

It is expected that Bockelman will sign a construction contract with Fontaine Brothers before the MBLC grant expires on April 30.