ERVING — The town of Erving will have a new library in the coming years, after funding was secured during the annual town meeting on Wednesday night.
The room erupted in applause and cheers when the measure was passed, authorizing the town to borrow nearly $5 million in funding, contingent on a state grant that would recoup 58 percent of the town’s funding of the project.
A taxpayer owning a median home will pay an additional $20 in taxes for the next 20 years because the measure passed.
Debate on the issue lasted a little under an hour, with some voters questioning the need for a space as large as the one proposed, as well as maintenance costs.
Town officials quelled concerns with the idea that if they reduced the square footage, the project would no longer qualify for the grant that is covering more than half the costs.
The Library Building Committee presented the article and answered questions on how the plan was put together.
“We’ve been doing this for almost five years. This is not something we just threw together,” Jackie Boyden, assessor and member of the committee said.
Many voters in the audience commended the group for their efforts and advocated for the funding.
“We have to continually invest in our town if we want to continue to thrive and grow,” Sarah Vega-Liros said during the discussion.
Recipients for the state grant that the town’s funding is contingent upon will be announced in July, but Library Building Committee members said they were fairly confident in the funding.
The building will be energy efficient and have solar panels to offset the cost, with estimated utilities at about $10,000 per year. The proposed library is 7,800 square feet, with 6,167 in square footage once the fixed shelving for books is subtracted.
There were 62 yes votes and 16 no votes, exceeding the two-thirds majority needed to pass the measure.
Additionally, voters approved funding standard items like the town’s budget, the Erving Elementary budget and the portion of the town’s funding that goes to Franklin County Tech School and the Gill-Montague Regional School District.
Beyond that, they also approved money for three full-time firefighters, which would shift the Erving Fire Department from a call force to a full-time force and will cost about $120,000 in salaries and $60,000 in benefits.
The town also authorized a track at the elementary school for $14,000.
Both of these measures were debated somewhat, but passed unanimously. All 41 articles passed with needed majorities and all but three passed unanimously.
Reach Miranda Davis at
413-772-0261, ext. 280
or mdavis@recorder.com.