Letter: Town Is Hurtling Toward an Obligation It Cannot Afford

The following letter was sent to the Amherst Town Council and Town Manager on April 4, 2024.

I can understand the hesitancy of any one of you to be the person to move to end the library project, even if you know you should, even if you supported the project until now.

In a recent council meeting, it seemed to me that at least seven of you had serious and growing doubts about continuing the support the library project, due to threatened insolvency, increased pricing, tariffs and uncertainty, failed fundraising, more pressing public projects, that the town should avoid undue risk in this perilous time, the ongoing evolution of libraries, the outsized proportion of this plan, for a town this size and with so many libraries, and more.

Can seven of you blink twice, if you actually (in your heart and mind) want to vote to end this broken project?

I understand how hard it is to step up and speak truth to momentum. But think about your role as steward for the town. Think about public service, and how that means serving the entire community, however divided. Think about how you explained to your child though you do have the money for a pony, it’s not in our family’s budget, so we can’t afford it.

We are hurtling towards an obligation that we cannot afford, and if YOU don’t say something, others will go along with your silence.

If you think the weaknesses outweigh the strengths, you owe it to yourself, not to mention to your town, to realize you are probably one of seven people on the council who think the Jones Library project is under water, and will drown other important parts of our community, as well.

Ira Bryck

Ira Bryck has lived in Amherst since 1993, ran the Family Business Center for 25 years, hosted the “Western Mass. Business Show” on WHMP for seven years, now coaches business leaders, and is a big fan of Amherst’s downtown.