ORANGE — About 35 people convened at Town Hall on Tuesday night for an information session regarding the Nov. 8 debt exclusion vote to accept a Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners grant for the Wheeler Memorial Library’s first major renovation since it was built in 1914.
Library Director Jessica Magelaner gave a presentation featuring the library’s building issues and the efforts that would be undertaken to resolve them. Following her presentation, Magelaner fielded questions and comments along with Project Manager Daniel Pallotta, architect Philip O’Brien, and Lauren Stara, a library building specialist with the MBLC. Most residents who spoke voiced support for the renovation, though some are apprehensive about the $15.6 million cost that will levy a $10.4 million burden on taxpayers. The town is eligible for a $5.2 million MBLC grant.
Jane Peirce, who chairs the Selectboard, stood up to say there is no question the town desperately needs a new library, but stressed the price tag will further strain the low-income community.
“This is a very, very heavy lift for us,” she said.
According to information from the town’s Library Building Committee, the project will cost residents $42 per quarter per $100,000 valuation of their home, or $84 per quarter if their home is valued at $200,000. Payments would begin in three years and decline over the following 20 years.
Residents will go to the polls at 62 Cheney St. on Nov. 8 to decide on the debt exclusion. If voters approve the spending, the library renovation must then be approved by a two-thirds majority at a Special Town Meeting on Dec. 8.
In her presentation, Magelaner explained the building at 49 East Main St. has no dedicated staff space and one small bathroom near her office. She said the basement, where the children’s section is located, has extremely poor ventilation and relies almost entirely on ceiling fans and a dehumidifier.
“The basement is always going to be slightly damp,” Magelaner said. “It’s a basement in Orange.”
She also mentioned the 102-year-old building has inadequate parking, a side entrance that leads immediately to stairs with no Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility, and a front entrance that presents its own accessibility challenges.
With the new design under the renovation project, young people will have a beautiful space to themselves on an upper floor, she said. The building has 7,956 square feet and would expand to 20,062 square feet after renovations, Magelaner told the Greenfield Recorder.
Bruce Scherer, chair of the Orange School Building Committee, asked what types of programming this new space would enable.
“Anything we wanted, really,” Magelaner replied, adding that there could be a “library of things,” a program in which items besides books and recordings — such as kitchen appliances, tools, gardening equipment, electronics and games — are loaned out.
Stara, who said she hopes voters approve this renovation project, explained to attendees how designers arrived at the proposed square footage. She told them to start by imagining that their library was flattened by a tornado. Then, think of all the items and rooms needed for the new library to carry out its services in an ideal space.
Robin Shtulman, a trustee of the Orange Public Libraries and a librarian at the Athol Public Library, chimed in to explain the information session’s presence at Town Hall was an example of the existing library’s insufficient space — the session could not legally be held at the library because it is not an accessible building. Trustee Candy Cross, who said she worked as a children’s librarian at Wheeler Memorial Library for 11 years, recalled having to turn away children from events because their attendance would violate fire codes.
Resident Will Johnson said that although the Wheeler Memorial Library is a hub of the Orange community, it “looks like it’s just ready to rot.”
Carol Windoloski, who said she lives on Grove Street behind the library, feels those pushing for the renovation have not been honest about all the project’s details. She argued the work is being marketed as a move toward ADA compliance but is actually an attempt to secure money for a grand library.
Windoloski, who said the proposed square footage is unnecessary, also inquired about Orange’s debt and was told it sits at $20 million. She said approval of this renovation will only add to that debt.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 8.
Reach Domenic Poli at dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.