SOUTHWICK — The project to enhance the grounds of the public library has been paused after learning the Community Preservation Committee mistakenly approved its initial funding application to purchase fixtures in 2024, and once again in October to finish the project.
“Our project should never have been approved to begin with because it doesn’t fit their funding criteria,” public library Director Lynn Blair said during the Library Board of Trustee meeting earlier this month.
In February 2024, Blair applied for an allocation of $22,659 from the CPC to revitalize the lightly treed area on the west side of the library at 95 Feeding Hills Road.
She told the committee the plan was to purchase percussion musical instruments and fixtures for a story walk path to be permanently installed, and to buy picnic tables, benches, a trash can and a security camera.
Using the recreation criteria for Community Preservation Act funding, the CPC members unanimously approved the request to ask Town Meeting to allocate the funds for the library, which it did in May 2024.
Originally, the town’s former building and grounds director was going to oversee the project, including taking care of the concrete needed to install the instruments and fixtures.
However, the building and grounds director left, and the project languished for over a year and a half as Blair explored the options to finish it.
After getting quotes for the concrete work and with pledges of $10,000 from the Wolf family, $5,000 from the Friends of the Library, $1,000 from the Mastroianni family, and from Southwick Tree Service LLC to remove two trees for free, Blair went back before the CPC in October for $24,232 to complete it.
The committee approved it and was in the process of drafting an article for the funding for the Special Town Meeting being held on Jan. 13 when it learned in November, after a presentation by the executive director of the Community Preservation Coalition Act, it shouldn’t have approved the library’s second application because the enhancements would not be considered permanent as required by the recreation criteria.
“I think we came to that realization when [the executive director] was speaking … we were going, ‘uh-oh,’” said CPC chair Christopher Pratt.
The coalition director said in a letter to the CPC about its approval of the library’s application that it was an “honest mistake” and offered an option, which was to have the town establish that parcel beside the library as a park.
Pratt included the possibility of just asking the Select Board for the funding.
“We might want to see if the town will just fund this thing. You know, it might be cheaper in the long run,” he said.
Blair made it clear during the trustee meeting that neither worked.
“Both of which I don’t think are very good options for us,” Blair said.
She said the Parks & Recreation Commission didn’t need another thing to worry about, and if the park option was used, it would mean any outside events on the library grounds would need to be approved by the commission.
As for asking the Select Board for the funding: “I don’t want to go to the Select Board for money because we have more pressing needs,” she said.
Fortunately, Blair said at the meeting, of the $22,269 allocation approved in 2024, only $855 has been used, which was to purchase the security camera.
Blair said on Dec. 22 that she will work with Town Accountant Laura Fletcher to send the original allocation back and that the $855 will be covered by the library.
Also, the two families that pledged the money, the Wolf family had yet to make the donation, but the Mastroianni family had already donated the $1,000.
“They wanted to know if there are any other things that we wanted to work on or needed, we could just use the funds for that,” Blair said of that donation.
During the trustee meeting and speaking on Monday, Blair said the project is still a possibility.
“It may be something more budget-friendly we can look at in the future,” Blair said.
The CPC approves spending from an account funded by a surtax on local property taxes and matching grants from the state. Community preservation funds can only be spent on open space, public housing, history and recreation projects.
