A lingering implication of the editorial “More Than We Bargained For” is that somehow the town was sold a bill of goods when it voted to fund the new Harvard Public Library. That assertion is too corrosive to let stand unchallenged. In fact, the progress that the library project has enjoyed to date would teach exactly the opposite lesson. The trust the town gave the library volunteers (who in turn have lent their competence, time, and dedication to the library project) has worked wonderfully. The Library Building Committee has done an extraordinary job to date bringing a beautiful building in on budget and on time.
My presentation to the 2004 Town Meeting related to votes on Articles 8 and 9 of the warrant for that meeting—one relating to accepting a state grant of $2.49 million toward building a library and one to approve a $2.6 million bond issue, again for those construction costs. Neither article had anything to do with the subject of the Press’ editorial—operating costs—and neither did my presentation. But it was the following that the Press’s evoked in its editorial:
In that presentation I stated:
“The Library Trustees have committed $500,000 and have agreed with the Finance Committee that, under all but certain extraordinary circumstances, should the project exceed its budget, the Library Trust will take on additional financial obligations rather than come back to the town for more money.”
Thankfully, the trustees have not “come back to the town for more money.” Instead the library, as it is required to do each year, has submitted a budget for operating expenses, and that is what the Press mistakenly admonished the trustees for.
By the way, my notes indicate that I also presented a slide to Town Meeting that showed:
Benefit, Cost per Household
- $2.49 million from the state – granted…..$0
- $0.50 million from library endowment – granted…..$0
- $1.52 million from private pledges – $1.3 committed…..$0
- $2.60 million bond issue…..$0.22(per thousand appraised value/year)
- $7.11 million Total…..$0.22 (per thousand appraised value/year)
The grants have been granted. The bond has been issued. The private donations have exceeded the $1.52 million goal—and are growing. The building is almost complete. A careful look at almost every aspect of the new library project should give heart even to the skeptics. Harvard’s citizens have accomplished an enormous amount together in this and I believe they can continue to have confidence in each other for when the next challenge presents itself.
James A. Saalfield
Woodchuck Hill Road
