library

Everyone has probably seen a few "Yes" signs by now...

Questions...where can someone get a sign to show their support for the library...and...will there be "No" signs?

Last night, the Westwood Finance Commission voted 12-3 to recommend Special Town Meeting approve a debt exclusion override on March 8. If the article is approved then, it will go on the April Town Election ballot. FinCom also approved (unanimously) articles 1-3 (renumbering town bylaws, purchasing ambulance and equipment, and rescinding unneeded debt from the Thurston school project).

Are Westwood residents ready to pay the equivalent of one lunch per month to see the Library renovated? My informal, scientifically baseless quick poll shows strong support for the Library, and I'm inclined to agree that the time is right to make an investment in our community infrastructure. But in an economy filled with doubt, are people going to be so quick to cast those "yes" votes?

A resident pointed out to me that my poll is inaccurate--the average cost per household will be be $106. But the schedule of payments--to finance $9.3 million over 20 years, assuming 5% interest and an average home value of $532,000, begins with a cost of $140 in the first year and declines to $73 by year 20.

Last Saturday, we spent about four hours at the Franklin Park Zoo. It was a cold, but bright and sunny day when hardly anyone would think of taking the family to the zoo. With no crowds, we practically had the place to ourselves. All for $8.

The Westwood Library has museum passes for discounted or free admission to many area attractions. We've been members of the zoo before, but it became harder to manage during the week with one parent and three kids, so we didn't renew the membership. As many parents know, there are many, many possible museums and to join them all would cost a fortune. But the library's program ensures that, as long as you plan ahead, you can reserve a pass and take advantage of these great museums...and...if that particular day turns out to be a day when the kids get bored fast or you have to leave suddenly--no problem. You got your money's worth.

Residents will likely be asked to approve a debt exclusion override at the Special Town Meeting to be held on March 8, 2010, for the purposes of funding the construction of a new/replacement Main Library. The latest news and updates can be found on the Library web site and project blog.

The Westwood-Walpole League of Woman Voters will host a town-wide presentation on the new library project at the First Parish Meeting Hall on Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 2:00pm.

Public input and discussion begins this week and continues through February...

This Thursday night, the Board of Selectmen will hold a public information session to consider the future of the  Colburn School building. The meeting will be at 7:30pm in the Little Theatre of the High School and will be a joint session of the Board of Selectmen, Planning Board, and Historical Commission.

The Colburn School building--what to do with it--has repeatedly come up in FinCom meetings and discussion of plans for the new Library. The Colburn School was built in 1874 and is recognized by the state as a contributing building to the Colburn Historic District on High Street. State money that will help build the Library is contingent on preserving the building in some location.

There are no shortage of potential topics to discuss in this town. Ideally, each one would start as its own post, but I just wanted to list out some of the things I'm wondering about that are not being covered by the press extensively and/or are not in a finalized state where the town would have published anything.

Last night, the Economic Development Advisory Board met after being completely re-organized. Regardless of what is going on or not going on with Westwood Station, what is the purpose of that? What is the town doing to promote business development--both small and large? A few years ago, an economic development director was hired; then she left and went to Needham. Is there any kind of association of Westwood small business owners I could join? Or start?

The Pedestran and Bicycle Safety Committee is meeting tonight. I posted it officially at town hall as required by law and on the town website, but haven't even posted it here on my blog. We have a lot going on and I'm happy to respond to questions.

The Dunkin Donuts on Route 1 was robbed at gunpoint last Tuesday. Yes, there was a story in the Westwood Press but it would be good to learn more.

FinComm met on Tuesday night. Was that about the Library...or the budget in general...or prep for discussing the warrants for the town meetings coming up? There is a lot of specualtion but I would suspect the majority of residents are not paying attention yet--until the override campaigns start. There is a blog about the Library project and plenty of information and meetings going on, but it would be great to hear what people are thinking and start the discussion earlier before it turns into a campaign.

The challenge of municipal finance in general is a complex topic that could stand some reasonable discussion that is not framed in crisis. It sounds like the dire circumstances predicted at the last Board of Selectmen meeting I attended are less dire now, but I don't know.

The meeting warrants are open for two Town meetings. Last year I was criticized for observing that the warrant had closed in January and so no one could get anything on the agenda for the May meeting.  So if you have anything for next year...you have a few weeks now to either convince the Selectmen to include it or gather petition signatures. I'm not looking to re-open a debate on the process of Town Meeting, but now is the time to prepare so if you have something, it can be proposed, discussed, etc.

There is an active Government and Charter Study Task force meeting twice a month to consider improvements to town governance. So, for those who felt their efforts last year went down in flames...it's worth a look to see the work that is actually being done now.

In December, the Town will hold an "ascertainment hearing" to hear from residents what their needs are vis-a-vs the Comcast and Verizon television contracts. The hearing will concern, among other things, the amount of operational budget available for community access tv programming. The nonprofit WestCAT was formed almost two years ago (I'm on the board) and we have now hired a person to build out a station here in Westwood...

Library Director Tom Viti has started a blog to provide updates and respond to questions from residents about the new library project. Check it out by following this link to the Library Building Project News site.

I would have spoken up at town meeting last night but I didn't think my comments would have an outcome on the vote for the library funding. However, I have some very real concerns about the timing of this project as I'm sure the library trustees do as well.

For those who weren't at town meeting last night, the town voted to appropriate $60,000 to the library to continue their development of architectural renderings in pursuit of $3.9 million in state aid to the town for building a new library.  According to the library's own presentation last night, this brings the library's out-of-pocket spending to about $380,000 for this project since 2005.

Later this year, I understand that the trustees intend to request a special town meeting at which they are going to ask us to approve a funding authorization for an amount between 3 and 4 million dollars. This money is estimated construction costs for a new library above and beyond the state aid and expected private donations. Their argument will be that if we don't vote through the funding, we are going to lose our $3.9 million in state contribution that they have been working on for 4 years.

Everyone who was at town meeting last night heard Pam Dukeman tell us to gird our loins for FY 2011. She is expecting significant cuts in services resulting from declining revenue. She also said that the town's bond rating had fallen in part because we did not have sufficient capital reserves.

So here's the problem I see looming. If the town decides to fund $3-4 million for new library construction in the fall, what are the chances that we're going to also pass a multi-million dollar operational override 6 months later? Not very good I think. This could be a real problem for the schools and other town services including the library. It would be fair irony if the library had it's operating budget cut by 20% at the same time it was putting up a new 32,000 sq ft building.

I also wonder about the cost of maintaining and operating a new library building. I assume the old library building will be retained for other purposes. If we are already behind in our capital reserves and can't keep up with maintenance on our existing structures, how can we justify building yet another one? Wouldn't we be better served keeping our exisiting infrastructure in good repair? Couldn't the $380,000, that's been spent pursuing the pot of gold from the state, have been better used to address some of the shortcomings of the existing building?

I commend the library trustees for their hardwork and dedication to making the library a true resource for our town. I realize this is a difficult conversation but it's one that needs to take place. This project made sense in 2005. Does it still make sense in 2009? What do others think?

This year the Westwood Young Women’s Club (WYWC) was pleased to distribute more than $20,000.00 in Community Outreach Grants. The funds were awarded to local organizations to support their community service efforts. The grants will help the Westwood Public Library fund a non-fiction author series for elementary students and their parents; enable the Westwood Council on Aging to provide evening meals and entertainment for seniors, and support the Early Childhood Council’s Parent/Child Social Hours, Barn Babies Program, and the popular Active Gym with Mr. Foley program at the Deerfield School. Other grant recipients include Mothers Morning Out, Inc., Westwood Youth Hockey, Hale Reservation, Westwood Chinese Cultural Association, Westwood Community Chest, Westwood Youth and Family Services, Westwood Integrated Preschool PTO, and the Westwood Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC).

The WYWC Community Outreach Grant Program assists public and non-profit organizations by providing grants to fund programs or projects that will benefit members of the Westwood community. Applications for the next round of funding will be accepted in early 2009.

If you would like more information or would like to join the WYWC, please visit www.wywc.org.