Library

Special Town Meeting votes down Westborough library project

Library | from page 1

By a vote of 715-529, residents at the Special Town Meeting rejected Article 1, which was a request to raise almost $36 million for the project.

According to Library Director Maureen Amyot, the Library Building Committee will meet on on Dec. 13 after the Community Advocate goes to press to discuss the next steps.

What happened

Residents and town officials filled the auditorium and gym at Westborough High School on Saturday, Dec. 10, for Special Town Meeting. It was convened as a result of a citizens’ petition asking for a revote on the project that failed to draw a two-thirds majority at the October Special Town Meeting.

Amyot and Mary Johnston, chair of the library’s Board of Trustees, presented a summary of the project.

“This is the culmination of 10 years’ work,” said Amyot.

According to Amyot, the project has come before Town Meeting 11 times since 2012.

“Libraries fill a need,” said Johnston. “It serves everyone, from infants to seniors.”

According to Amyot, for 2021-2022, the library checked out 265,000 items; had 107,000 annual visitors; and had 7,000 people participate in events.

Amyot and Johnston cited the need to replace the library’s aging electrical systems, roof and windows, as well as having new study rooms and children’s area.

For residents Steve Buttiglieri and Ed Crowley, the reasons to oppose the project came down to three things — too big, too expensive and inadequate parking.

The zoning plans for the project would result in a loss of green space, said Buttiglieri. Also, the library’s new addition would have been five feet closer to the property line.

There was also the issue of the adjacent Congregational Church. Not only were there concerns about its parking lot being used to park construction equipment, but Buttiglieri said tearing down the 1980 library addition, and excavating the lower basement, could risk the structures of both the church and the 1908 portion of the library.

On the financial front, Buttiglieri pointed out that the Fales Elementary School has yet to appear on the town’s tax bills. There was also the matter of interest rates — at the current rate of 4.5%, about $12 million could have been added to the project.

Parking was another issue. Buttiglieri said there were 112 parking spots within 350 feet of the library; he said the need is for 100-150 spaces. A current agreement between the library and the Congregational Church for use of the church’s parking spaces expires in 2026.

As alternatives, Buttiglieri suggested plans to make base repairs, including the roof and windows; update the study made in 2012; and seek another site for a new library with adequate parking.

Article 1 was decided by electronic devices in the auditorium, and by hand ballot in the gymnasium. It took about 20 minutes to tally all the votes.

The library project was in line to receive a $9.4 million grant from the state’s Board of Library Commissioners. With the vote against the project, it is likely that the grant will be allocated to another community library project.

Westborough veterans thank volunteers for flag retrieval

WESTBOROUGH – The Westborough Veterans’ Advisory Board and the American Legion wish to thank the 50 people who assisted with the U.S. flag retrieval and cleaning on Nov. 19.

More than 1,500 veterans are interred in the town’s cemeteries. U.S. flags were placed in advance of Memorial Day.

This event took place at the Town Rotary and Midland, Memorial, Pine Grove and Saint Luke’s cemeteries. This culminated this year’s Veterans Day remembrances.

Special thanks are offered to

Volunteers who retrieved flags pose for a photo. Paul Freeman of the advisory board and the organizations, including the Westborough Police Department, Boy Scouts troops 100 and 382, Girl Scouts, Cubs and Brownies, Knights of Columbus Council 85, National Honor Society, the Advisory Board, American Legion Post 0163 and the Rotary Club.

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Westborough receives $4 million for Otis Street improvement project

By Maureen Sullivan Senior Reporter WESTBOROUGH - The Otis Street Transit-Oriented Development Regional Improvement Project will benefit from $2 million from the Massworks Infrastructure Program and $2 million in MassDOT funding that has been recently approved.

The town of Westborough application was submitted to the FY2023 Community One Stop for Growth, and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, Department of Housing and Community Development and Massachusetts Development Finance Agency worked together to evaluate all eligible applications and recommended the most ready and high-impact projects for a grant.

“This $4 million investment from MassWorks and MassDOT is a game changer for the town of Westborough,” said state Sen. Michael Moore (DMillbury). “With these funds, Westborough will be able to prepare the Otis Street corridor with the necessary infrastructure to support new jobs, new businesses, and new opportunities for the community.”

The town has planned for new growth along the Otis Street corridor to leverage the nearby transit station, rail trail and existing development areas. Through the planning process, the town updated its master plan, adopted new as-of-right zoning along Otis Street, completed a road safety audit, completed a transportation corridor study and pursued 25% design of these critical road improvements.

The town plans to use this grant to construct road and pedestrian improvements at the intersection of Route 9 and along the Otis corridor.

Other members of Westborough’s delegation weighed in on the award.

“I was so pleased to work with the Westborough legislative delegation to advocate on behalf of the town for this significant state infrastructure support, which will leverage private investment and enable the full planned build-out of this critical economic development area,” said state Rep. Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury).

“This $4 million grant will allow the different neighborhoods of Westborough to be more closely connected, enhance pedestrian and bicyclist use, continue Westborough’s efforts to expand its bike lane, rail trail and path infrastructure, and improve public safety,” said state Sen. Jamie Eldridge (DActon).

Town Manager Kristi Williams and Select Board Chair Ian Johnson said the town was appreciative of the award. Williams said the benefits of the planned new growth on Otis Street were “critical” to Westborough, but wouldn’t be possible without the state’s investment.

“The town is extremely excited to receive this funding to support the development of this economically important area of Westborough, while also improving the safety of our citizens through intersection improvements,” said Johnson.

The town of Westborough will be required to submit a completed pre-contract form, provided by EOHED, no later than Jan. 31, 2023, to begin the contracting process. Once the contract is fully executed, construction work can begin.

PHOTO/ MAUREEN SULLIVAN

Otis Street will benefit from a total of $4 million from Massworks and MassDOT.

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