TURNERS FALLS — Less than two weeks after library trustees voted in support of a feasibility study to explore the possibility of a new library at 38 Avenue A, the Montague Economic Development and Industrial Corp. (MEDIC) has recommended that an existing structure on the property be demolished.
The decision by MEDIC, a town group tasked with implementing economic development projects, follows a request for proposals process that yielded no proposals favorable to the town, according to Assistant Town Administrator Walter Ramsey.
The former Cumberland Farms property, now owned by MEDIC, was slated to become the site of Turners Falls’ first new downtown-style building since 1950, with a four-story mixed-use structure proposed by New England Wound Care Medical Director Sohail Waien in February 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic then delayed demolition of the existing structure, as well as construction of the new building.
Later, the project was reduced to a two-story building for financial reasons before falling through altogether by May 2022.
After a fruitless RFP period, MEDIC voted Wednesday to immediately launch an indefinite request for information phase, as well as request that demolition of the building be brought to the Capital Improvements Committee for consideration.
Ramsey said that over the course of three total RFP windows, the town received interest from entities ranging from cannabis retail companies to modular housing developers.
“None of (the proposals) met (the Selectboard’s) preference for a multistory, multi-use structure,” Ramsey said after Wednesday’s MEDIC meeting, having observed “a gulf between what the community envisions, what the EDIC’s vision is and what the market can support.”
The Selectboard and MEDIC have expressed particular care in ensuring whatever comes of the 38 Avenue A property is conducive to its value. It is located in proximity to Town Hall, the Great Falls Discovery Center and the downtown area. Ramsey also noted that the building is often one of the first things that people see after crossing the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge. These factors make the site “very attractive” to developers, MEDIC Vice Chair James Mussoni said.
“This is a gateway site for the community and probably the first building coming off Route 2,” Ramsey said.
Meanwhile, Montague Public Libraries Director Caitlin Kelley and the library trustees have been engaged in conversation about the prospective eventual replacement of the Carnegie Public Library in Turners Falls. They discussed the prospect of constructing a modern library after a community survey showed 70% of responses advocating for accessibility improvements as a priority. The Carnegie Public Library does not conform with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.
“(People with physical disabilities) can’t access the fiction collection because it’s not wide enough,” Kelley said. “We have seniors who can’t reach the top or bottom shelves because they can’t reach high enough and they can’t crouch down.”
Kelley said she met with Town Administrator Steve Ellis to discuss this “clear public interest.” The two met with Ramsey after this initial conversation and the three “hashed out what would be required” to submit a proposal for a new library.
Kelley said she “almost fell out of (her) chair” when Ramsey said he could feasibly envision a new library at 38 Avenue A. She called the location a “natural fit,” echoing town officials’ enthusiasm about its closeness to Town Hall, the Great Falls Discovery Center and downtown.
The library trustees voted on Oct. 24 to have a feasibility study prepared, according to Kelley. They also voted to request that $30,000 be allocated from the town’s American Rescue Plan Act funding. The study would be carried out by Jones Whitsett Architects Inc., a Greenfield-based company Kelley turned to for a comparable study in Easthampton before she was hired in Montague.
Kelley said she and the trustees explored a variety of options to address accessibility issues at the Carnegie Public Library, including expanding the existing building, but discovered that would be “very difficult” to accomplish due to various issues related to abutting property rights. Discussions about expanding the library have been ongoing since 1915 to no avail, Kelley recalled reading in an old newspaper.
“I definitely wouldn’t want the town to abandon the Carnegie because it is such a community asset,” Kelley said. “I can only imagine that this community will continue to grow, so we want to do our due diligence to ensure we have a building that’s suitable for today, but also the future so we don’t have to do this again in 20 years.”
Although Ramsey emphasized at Wednesday’s MEDIC meeting that “there’s no guarantee” that even a feasibility study will be a “sure thing” at 38 Avenue A, Kelley expressed excitement regarding the prospect of a new library somewhere, someday. She hopes the community considers “what a 21st-century library could look like,” fantasizing about a beautiful new facility with a meeting place, a quiet study area, accessible programming and modern technology. If towns such as Erving can achieve this, she argued, why can’t Montague?
“We can have that, too,” she said, “and we deserve that.”
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.