Opinion: Library Trustees Silent on $9 Million Owed to Town
Photo: depositphotos..com
The Jones Library Trustees held their monthly meeting on July 9. It lasted all of 13 minutes and the only agenda item was a vote on the signage for the Jones Library. No mention was made about any upcoming meeting.
There was no discussion whatsoever about the state of the capital campaign. None of the trustees questioned why there was no report on fundraising efforts or what they should be doing to pay back the town the several million dollars they owe for their project. They seemed content to merely suggest a hyphen here or there on the signs that are being made for their $46 million project.
When will the Town Manager or the Town Council say something or, better yet, do something to get the Library to pay its share?
Image: depositphotos.com
Every taxpayer in Amherst is a stakeholder in the library project, and deserves far more honesty and transparency than the library board and town government have provided so far. I urge those responsible to clearly explain the full financial impact of this project on our library, our town budget, and our future tax bills. Supporters describe it as a once‑in‑a‑generation showpiece for Amherst, but many residents see a project whose costs and risks have not been candidly presented and that may burden taxpayers for years to come.
(written without resorting to include the word “boondoggle”)
Silent trustees. Amherst’s been had.
Abhorrent is a word to consider; a boondoggle implies somewhat, more or less, twisted comedy.
BTW congrats to the Reyes’ on their newly paved road. Very smooth.
Kopicki is correct in pointing out the avoidance of dealing with this issue. What comes to mind is the futility of urging a dead horse to pull a wagon or a stone to supply blood.
Ira, try swindle!
And the new addition is even uglier than all the photos in its promotions. …the new smashed right into the classical 1928 children’s room.😢😢
The Trustees’ lack of a detailed fundraising accounting and the Town’s failure to press the issue are only part of the problem.
On May 1 the Jones Library Capital Campaign reported that they had raised $9.1 million toward their share of the building project cost. This does not square with the $4.8 million (33%) of their $13.8 million obligation that Sean Mangano reported had been received by the Town as of April 13.
The Capital Campaign is apparently sitting on millions of dollars of funds raised instead of transferring it “as and when the same is received by the Library” to the Town Treasurer as called for in the Town-Library Memorandum of Agreement. This is no small deal. Timely remittance from the Library can be used by the Town to pay down project debt, as we have been paying close to $2 million per month on construction costs. Instead, Amherst is stuck with the interest payments while the Capital Campaign collects interest on money that should rightfully have been transferred to the Town.
What gives the Town Manager the authority to waive the Library MOA requirement to reimburse the Town as funds are raised?
What recourse do we have, as The Town of Amherst taxpayers, to hold the Jones Library Trustees and the Town Manager accountable for this immense financial burden?
It is so troubling and incredibly sad that so many people could not see this coming. There have been plenty of warnings.
Where are the politicians that have been elected or appointed to protect the residents of Amherst from situations such as this? Are they truly doing their jobs?
Living in Amherst becomes costlier by the day as recent tax and water bills have shown.
Yet, talk of more spending continues.
Now is the time to stop further spending and deal with the enormous sum of money the library owes to the town. It cannot be ignored and swept under the rug. This needs to be corrected.
Any citizen who is concerned and wants a voice should be registered to vote. Be an informed voter and know who and what you are voting for. Be clear on what your vote actually means. Never miss voting in our elections. Hold our public representatives
accountable.
This library fiasco is such an embarrassment to Amherst. The library owns this debt and taxpayers deserve to have the library keep its word.
At their FEB 20, 2026 meeting, the Jones Trustees proposed using their endowment (valued at $9.24M at the time) to cover library operating expenses AND to reimburse the town for the library’s share of construction costs, for which the library still owes the town more than $9M.
https://www.amherstindy.org/2026/02/20/steel-rising-endowment-falling-jones-library-leaders-wrestle-with-uncertain-future
They proposed to take out $5M from the library’s endowment to cover their fundraising shortfall (which at this moment looks considerably larger than $5M). According to the cash flow referenced in their MOU with the town, they are currently over $6 million behind in payments.
At that same meeting, the trustees also proposed increasing the annual draw from the endowment from 2.9% ($250,000/year) per year to 4.8% ($417,000) per year to cover the growing costs of operating expenses.
Jeff Lee’s report on that meeting offered figures suggesting that such a draw , combined with a $5M payment to the town ,is not sustainable and, under such a scenario, the endowment would quickly dwindle. That would leave the town on the hook, not only for the library’s debt but for its annual operating expenses. To date, the trustees have offered little in the way of an accounting plan that amounts to more than magical thinking, and you’d think that folks on the Town Council and Finance Committee and indeed local taxpayers would want to know, with the completion of the project looming, how the trustees can possibly make the numbers work.
I’ve lost trust in the town manager and the council members that dealt with the Jones Library, part of the four major projects. Millions of dollars for a building that only some members of the area will use. Whereas the departments that have really needed upgrading for decades, which everyone in town will need the services they provide, get attention only after years and years of complaining. It’s so obvious there is prejudice in my opinion.
Bockelman says we value all town employees but his actions prove differently. What possibly could be the reason for the long delay in the DPW’s contract? It didn’t take long to get his raise! I’m glad he’s finally doing some hiring in both the Fire & DPW. But the DPW building should have been first on the list of projects to do after the school. Now that they went with the Library first, he’s already walking back what they’ll be able to do for the DPW and Fire establishments.
I think what bothers me the most is how the Library trustees have put up the endowment to help pay for their financial obligations. What are they thinking? That wonderful gift was meant to pay for running the Library. It should never have been accepted to be this big and cost this much. It is plain gambling and now the taxpayers are probably on the hook.
Finally when I hear the planning head exclaim how the student rentals have created slum neighborhoods, wouldn’t you think that might call for some changes? I suggest this town manager and current town council stop catering to their rich friends at UMass & Amherst College and start listening to the residents who pay taxes in this town.