losing State Certification
January 4, 2008
Bridgewater Selectmen chose not to attend the January 3 hearing, as requested by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. This no-show and also the Town not providing any information on plans to improve the Library status appears to seal the fate of the Town Library. With an expected decision on February 7 to decertify the Library, residents’ access to services in neighboring communities will be curtailed.
Story in today’s Enterprise --
Selectmen absent from state library meeting
01/04,2008, By Theresa Knapp Enos, Enterprise Correspondent
BRIDGEWATER— The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners holds the fate of the Bridgewater Public Library in its hands and it was not impressed when a call to selectmen to testify at a recertification hearing in Boston went unanswered.
“I always think these things work best when the chairman (of the Board of Selectmen) or a selectman or town manager is here to discuss these types of issues and discuss the plan for moving forward,” said George T. Comeau, MBLC vice chairman, at Thursday's hearing.
At its last meeting, the Board of Selectmen discussed the MBLC's Dec. 12 letter asking for town officials to attend the hearing.
Chairman Mark Oliari, also the board's library liaison, nominated fellow Selectman Christopher Flynn to attend the meeting as legislative liaison. However, Flynn said the meeting fell under the purview of the library liaison.
No selectman attended, and this was clearly a concern to the MBLC and could be reflected in its decision to be made next month.
Because a November town meeting — after six months of town meetings and failed override attempts — cut the library's budget by a disproportionate 28 percent compared to other town departments, local officials were called before the state to defend its fifth waiver application in as many years.
“Twenty-eight percent does not bode well,” said Comeau, noting that Bridgewater is in the unenviable position of having the highest discrepancy in the commonwealth. “The amount that you were cut is not consistent with any other town we have seen.”
The town of Dartmouth, which also was called before the MBLC on Thursday, was second highest at 12 percent. Any town with a discrepancy over 5 percent must defend its recertification application in person.
The Bridgewater Public Library is open 15 hours a week, far below the 52 hours it was open last year and the 63 hours required for a town of Bridgewater's size.
The MBLC has the discretion to grant a waiver if a town is making progress and can provide a financial recovery plan. However, no such plan exists in Bridgewater.
“The trend is not good for this community. There's been no indication that the trend is going to change,” said Comeau.
Bridgewater Board of Library Trustees Chairman Carlton Hunt pleaded Bridgewater's case to the MBLC.
“Our failure to have a recovery plan in place, or even beginning to address such a plan, is just another source of embarrassment for Bridgewater as a town and community,” Hunt said after the meeting. “Frankly, the citizens of Bridgewater should be up-in-arms over the continued failure of proactive leadership by the leaders of the Board of Selectmen. I believe the MBLC when they said not having a recovery pan in place is not a good thing.”
When MBLC Chairman Em Claire Knowles asked what efforts the town will take going forward, Town Treasurer Jo-Ann O'Donnell said selectmen are interested in selling town-owned land and hopeful that increased commercial development will increase the town's tax base.
It was also noted that selectmen have asked for budgets from each department that reflect state and federally-mandated expenses.
The library is one of those expenses, said Knowles, adding that the closure of the library would trigger repayment by the town of state and federal library constructions grants of $750,000 to $1 million.
The MBLC will make its decision on Feb. 7.
“The town will have to remember that once we are decertified at the February meeting of the MBLC, residents will not be able to request materials through inter-library loan and through the network, and they will not be able to borrow materials from most of the libraries in the state,” said Library Director Betty Gregg after Thursday's meeting. “If we become decertified in February, we will still remain open until June 30, 2008, when the town determines our budget will be.”
Town officials are hopeful but not optimistic that a waiver is forthcoming.
“This is one of the deepest cuts that we've seen,” said Knowles, noting the MBLC's obligation to all communities throughout the commonwealth. “We'll take it under consideration.”
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