Opposers Want Project Scaled Back

With the vote on the building project just under a week away, a few residents have coordinated an effort to defeat the special election vote.

"We are not against the library," said John Martin, chairman of the Committee for a Smaller Library. "We just want a cheaper one to be built."

Martin said the project is too big right now and can be scaled back by adding higher shelves to store books in some areas of the library, which could reduce the overall size of the library.

"If they change the book density on most of the shelves, the town could save a lot of money and space," said Brian Austin, a member of the group. "There should be a mix of shelving, shorter stacks in the children's room, but higher ones in other areas of the library."

"The money for the library project will not go away if we vote down the project now," Martin said. "It can come before the voters again, when the project is scaled back."

"We're looking for a better deal," said Chris Davis, who is a member of the group. "We want to reduce the cost, the size and change the misinformation that is out there about the project."

Davis agrees that a no vote is necessary to send the library project back to the drawing board.

They admit that the library building is in disrepair, but they believe the problems of leaks other concerns should and can be fixed.

Bob Abrahams, another member of the group, suggests the town renovate the library like other communities. "In Arlington, Lexington and Concord where people have a lot more money than we do, they renovate all their buildings, they don't build new."

Davis also said the library is within the town's historic district. "If we build the library the size of what is proposed, it would be like building a Bank of Boston building in the center of Sturbridge Village," he said. "The proposed building is as long as a football field—they should make it smaller."

He also said by making the building smaller, without so many windows, which is part of the proposed plan, the town could save on energy costs.

Austin said there is a state fire code that says a children's room should not be on the second floor, which is in the library proposal as well.

Shrewsbury Fire Chief James Vuona said he has contacted the state fire marshal's office and there is no such state or local fire code. "I was just going to write the group a letter about that," Chief Vuona said. "There is no problem with having a children's room on the second floor."

"Why wouldn't you put the administrative offices on the second floor and have the children's room on the first floor?" Abrahams asked. "It would make it easier on the mothers and their children."

The special election to vote on the Shrewsbury Public Library building project is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 18 and polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.