Ashland voters approve new library over Town Hall's objections

ASHLAND — Voters eight years ago were asked to spend $950,000 to purchase the former Ashland Elementary School building as a town library. This year, with an anonymous donor agreeing to cover the cost of the purchase, they agreed on a 196-165 vote to buy that same building for $400,000.

Both the selectboard and the budget committee opposed the purchase and the town has remained divided over the wisdom of acquiring the property. Opponents worried that the purchase will lead to heavy maintenance and repair bills and require additional staffing to operate it as a library.

The town’s current library, the Scribner Library, is crowded and trustees estimate that it would cost more than $1 million to make the necessary repairs and upgrades.

The Tri-County Community Action Program purchased the three-story elementary school building in 2008, paying $1, plus a $44,000 reimbursement to the Ashland School District to cover the demolition of the former high school building.

Since then, Tri-County CAP has put $1.2 million into the building, including installing new heating, electrical, and cooling systems, new windows, making it handicapped-accessible and meeting life-safety codes. It replaced the roof, made the elevator functional, and eliminated hazardous materials in the building.

Having closed the Head Start classroom and discontinued the Housing and Development office, TriCounty CAP has been using just half of one story for its remaining office and no longer needs such a large building.

Instead of putting the building on the market, the organization has held it for municipal use, working with the town to offer the building at as low a price as possible, according to Jeanne Robillard, the chief executive officer of Tri-County CAP. The building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1877-78 and served as a school until 1990.

Some residents wanted to see the building placed on the market to generate tax revenue, but the restrictions that the school district placed in the deed allow it to be used only by tax-exempt entities.

There also were questions about what would happen to the current library, which Emma Scribner had donated to the town to serve as a community center, as a memorial to her husband. A court decision had affirmed that using the building as a library would not violate the terms of the bequest, which also stipulated that the rest of the estate would be held in trust to cover the maintenance of the building. If it no longer remains in use as a library, residents asked, what will become of it?

As for the new building, the library trustees say there is a capital reserve fund that will pay for shelving and other interior needs at the elementary school building, and they will be able to apply for grants once the purchase is completed. They plan offer meeting space on the third floor.

Still, those who have worked in the building say there is no air conditioning and it gets quite hot during warm weather, while the heating system is not sufficient to keep the building warm in winter.

The anonymous donor putting up the money for the new library has asked that it be known as the Elaine Valliant Library Building. The trustees say they will determine hours of operation and staffing by the time the facility opens, tentatively by the fall of this year.