Letter: New Revelations Suggest A No Vote Is the Reasonable Choice on Further Jones Borrowing

The following letter was sent to the Amherst Town Council on December 17, 2023.

Now that it appears  minimal contingency funds remain for the Jones
Library demolition/expansion project – the demolition phase may yield
quite unpleasant and expensive surprises – reasonable minds question
the continued commitment to move forward on a plan with such marginal
fiscal guardrails.  And the shifting ground,  metaphorically speaking
(at least for now), around the expanded Strong House easement
generates even further public distrust.

These two new revelations, combined the murky accounting for
substantially greater project debt and associate interest costs, and
the continuing failure to substantiate whether all legally mandated
material has been submitted to/approved by the Massachusetts
Historical Commission in a timely fashion, strongly suggests a “No”
vote on additional borrowing is the more reasonable choice Monday
night.

   Mistakes can be forgiven,
   But they still come at a cost.
   And this one will cost the public
   Well over $50 million.

Rob Kusner

Rob Kusner is Professor of Mathematics at UMass Amherst and a former Amherst Selectman.