Montague residents weigh benefits, financial feasibility of $23.7M library

MONTAGUE — Residents sought to balance financial and community needs during a discussion of the $23.7 million proposal for a new library this week.

Montague will be responsible for $12.4 million of the total cost, and $11.3 million will be covered by the state as part of the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program. The proposal involves construction of a 21,000-square-foot building at 38 Avenue A.

Before the library can be built, Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, May 2, must authorize a debt-exclusion vote that would be held on Wednesday, June 24. A debt exclusion would allow the town to temporarily raise the tax levy for the duration of the project.

If the project clears both votes, planning would continue. The project is expected to break ground in the summer of 2027 and the new library would open in early 2029.

Over the summer, the library trustees and the Library Building Steering Committee agreed to move forward with constructing a new library at 38 Avenue A. A new building was one of two options considered, with the other option being to renovate the existing Carnegie Public Library at 201 Avenue A. In public meetings to gather feedback, accessibility, a design that complements the surrounding downtown and community space were some of the main areas of focus.

“The Carnegie has served Montague well for more than a century. It was built in 1906 and it was arguably small the day that it opened, and the town has been trying to expand it since then,” Town Administrator Walter Ramsey at Tuesday’s meeting, which was held both in person at the Gill-Montague Senior Center, with about 40 people in attendance, and on Zoom. “The last effort was back in the early 2000s, and that didn’t gain any traction at the time. So here we are. It’s been a long conversation that’s been a long time.”

In early 2025, the town secured a $100,000 grant for the project’s design and planning phase. This grant covered 50% of the designs, and $150,000 was allocated by Town Meeting voters to cover the rest.

Project details and costs

Library Trustees Chair Will Quale and Montague Public Libraries Director Caitlin Kelley presented an overview of the existing conditions at the Carnegie Public Library, as well as its history. Some of the main issues at the existing library include a lack of accessibility for patrons and staff, space for library materials and programs, parking access, and sufficient heating and cooling systems.

“We cannot have programs of more than 15 people in our building. We have to go off-site to have programs,” Kelley said of the current library, “and since that has been the case, our children’s circulation has declined 10%. We also don’t have a teen space. Our circulation is way, way lower than towns of similar population that do have teen spaces.”

Kelley said that, based on the community feedback received, some of the new plans for the 21,000-square-foot building include a 100-seat community room, a children’s reading room, a children’s program room, a tween room, a teen area for homework, three quiet reading and study rooms, a local history room and a rooftop terrace, among others.

Adam Thibeault of the owner’s project management firm Downes Construction, presented the project’s cost breakdown, while Town Accountant Angelica Desroches and Town Treasurer/Collector Eileen Seymour showed the impact that a debt exclusion would have on residents, including how Franklin County Technical School’s proposed building project would factor into the town debts.

Thibeault explained that with the plans for the new library’s amenities, as well as the overall design of the building, cost was a critical consideration.

“Throughout the whole design phase, we were all focused on being as cost-conscious and being sustainable as possible,” he said. “This is something that started on day one and ran through the entire project, through the design, and will continue to move forward through the design.”

As such, some of the main cost cuts included saving $5 million by not renovating the current Carnegie Public Library, removing a basement from the design to save $2 million, opting for an air-to-water hydronic heating system rather than geothermal and taking off some of the extra amenities from the base bid, including the $180,000 rooftop trellis. There will also be $228,000 in short-term savings by waiting to buy an electric generator.

Desroches explained that the town has taken on project debts before, and a healthy debt range ratio is between 4% and 6%, which the library project falls into. She said that based on the calculations of the annual debt payments and the tax implications, the project will cost $159 per year for the average single-family home valued at $325,000.

The majority of the 30-year bond payments will peak just above $1.5 million for 11 of those years, according to estimates provided at the meeting.

Seymour said that although this will be a long-term debt project, there are still short-term debt implications coming from interest payments on short-term borrowing, subject to the market rate. She said these interest amounts will be added to the town’s operating budget each year, impacting the tax levy.

Desroches discussed how the Franklin Tech building project will impact the annual debt payments and the debt ratio, bringing it to a peak of around 9%.

Using current cost estimates provided by the school, Desroches said Montague will pay a total of $16 million plus interest for the school in annual $1.1 million payments. This means that if both debt exclusions are running in tandem, the estimated annual debt will peak at or above $2.5 million from fiscal year 2031 through fiscal year 2044.

Providing context, Quale said this is not the first time Montague has completed a new library and a school building project at around the same time. Turners Falls High School was built in 1905, followed by the current Carnegie Public Library in 1906.

“We can do two, and by considering each on its own merits and giving it what will benefit that project the most, that’s how you make both projects thrive,” he said.

Cost concern and community value

After the presentation, residents expressed their hesitation over the new library’s price tag on top of other town expenses.

“I’m sorry to tell you, I have to play devil’s advocate today. So the library is costing $23.7 million. Did this go out to bid? Is this the lowest bid or something like that?” Michael Morin said, sharing several concerns over having a new library with two other branches open. He also questioned what the old library would be used for and the cost of its maintenance, along with the cost to hold the special election to vote in June.

Library and town officials clarified that the project has not gone out to bid yet, and won’t until after eight to 10 months of project design. Kelley noted that the hope would be to have the old library go to a nonprofit for a low price, and that the question of keeping the Millers Falls and Montague Center branches is not up for debate.

Others wondered if the investment is worthwhile when people can drive to neighboring libraries in Greenfield and Erving, especially considering budgets are tight. Selectboard Chair Matt Lord said that in his view, the library can attract young families who can use it as an asset for the community.

While audience members shared their apprehension, others tried to recognize both their concerns for cost, but also what value they see in a new library coming to Montague.

“It is going to be harder financially right now, but there’s so many more inputs from outside that we have little control over right now when it comes to money,” Nate Card commented. “Investing this way in this community, in my opinion, is one of the smartest and strongest ways a community can spend its money.”

While another information session has not yet been scheduled, Kelley said a Friends of the Montague Public Libraries fundraiser at Element Brewing Co., 16 Bridge St. in Millers Falls, will take place on Thursday, April 9, at 6:30 p.m. She will share some information about the library project, then host trivia, and the winning teams will earn a gift card to the brewery. Suggested donations are between $5 and $10 per player.