Another Vote for a New Public Library?

Seekonk residents might get another opportunity to vote for a new public library. Michael Durkay, chairman of the Library Board of Trustees, informed the Board of Selectmen last Wednesday about a request for an extension filed with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Last July, the Library had been awarded a $7.3 million grant from the MBLC for the construction of a new building. Durkay explained the grant was “provisional”, which meant the voters had to approve the grant at a special election to be held before January 9, 2023. The MBLC has now given the trustees until April 30 to win town approval for a new library by holding a special town meeting and then a special election.

“What we have done is examine all the possibilities and examine all the obstacles that exist to achieve either end,” Durkay said. “The possibilities are we go back to the town to request funding for the project as originally designed, as we’ve done twice in the past.” Durkay said the other option is to ask voters to approve funds for repair or renovations to the existing facility at 410 Newman Avenue.

Voters at the October 25 special town meeting rejected plans to build a new $24 million public library. There were over 600 in attendance at the Seekonk High School auditorium. The vote was 405 in favor and 207 opposed. A two-thirds majority was required for passage, but it was three votes short. Every member of the Seekonk Board of Selectmen voted in favor of the project. Town Administrator Shawn Cadime had also voiced his support.

A proposal for a $19.6 million library was defeated at the May 2021 town meeting. Cadime told the board he would conduct a site visit to the library to see the items which need to be repaired. “We need to start looking at the repairs moving forward, especially for capital planning purposes if this is the building that we’re going to be living for the next several years,” Cadime said.

Durkay believes the list of items in need of repairs will be easy to identify, but not the estimated cost of the materials and labor to do those repairs. “I don’t know how accurate the cost estimate for the repairs was because I don’t know how complete that list was,” Durkay said. “We tried to make it complete but what I’m saying is it has to be done more accurate.”