The opponents of the new library for Turners Falls claim the current design that is being voted on is too big and too expensive. I would argue that a smaller library will cost the town of Montague more money.

The current design has been a work in progress for two years with close coordination with the Mass Board of Library Commissioners, the source of the $11.3 million dollar grant offered to the town. The state is not interested in funding a library significantly smaller than what it believes a town the size of Montague needs. Therefore the $11.3 million is dependent on the town accepting the current design.

We could build a library half the size of the current plan, but it would cost us more than the $12.4 million. First, we won’t get a penny from the state because they have no interest in building a library that is too small and will require additions in the not too distant future. Secondly, cutting the building size in half would not cut the cost in half. The cost would be about two thirds to three quarters of the original budget. We still need an elevator, handicapped accessible bathrooms, etc. that are fixed costs no matter how large the rest of the building is in a smaller design.

If we don’t build a new library it is only a matter of time until the town is sued over the lack of ADA compliance in the Carnegie building. We have been getting by with “reasonable accommodation” allowances, but I suspect if a court were to take into account the town’s unwillingness to build an ADA compliant library with state aid, we could very well be forced to do so in a few years without any state support.

The Carnegie is a lovely building and protected by its listing with the Mass Historical Commission. It doesn’t need to be “saved” by voting down the new library. The town will find a new use for the library, as it has done with too small schools, etc.

If we keep it as a library, the town will face increased maintenance costs, that might very well result in triggering a mandatory full-scale ADA renovation, which the architects have clearly demonstrated would be more expensive than building the new library. We would not have state grants to make these changes, so Montague would bear all of the costs to upgrade the building and we still wouldn’t have a library that works well for the town.

Please vote “yes” to keep Montague moving forward.

David Dempsey lives in Montague.