Site plan rendering by James Wassell, Sunapee, of the concept plan for use of the Old Town Hall for a new Sunapee library-community center. Presentations continue in Sunapee to inform voters about the concept and town warrant article 23.
To follow up Sunapee’s deliberative session last week where re-use of the Old Town Hall for the new town library was debated, the Abbott Library Building Committee is hosting a round table discussion on the library’s Concept Plan and warrant article 23. The public forum will be held on Tuesday, February 16, following a trustees meeting at the Town Office meeting room at 7 p.m. Guest speaker will be Maggie Stier, field representative for the NH Preservation Alliance. Prior to the forum, a ten-minute “meet and greet” is planned at 6:50 p.m.
Library trustees, the Old Town Hall Committee, and Sunapee selectmen voted to put an article on the March 2010 Town Warrant to help determine the level of support for a joint project to re-use of the Old Town Hall for a new library and other town uses.
Warrant Article #23 asks: “Do you favor expanding the previously approved library Harbor site to include the adjacent Old Town Hall property, renovating the Old Town Hall for a library while preserving the horse ramp and clock tower, reserving a portion of the building for other town uses, while continuing to seek private funding? This article is advisory only and is intended to provide the Library Trustees, the Old Town Hall Committee, and the Select Board with a sense of the voters’ opinions.”
However, it’s not clear sailing for supporters of the joint project. After the selectmen voted to put an advisory warrant article on the ballot, an opposing article was presented by petition.
Warrant Article #25 asks: “Are you in favor of instructing the Abbott Library Trustees to find another site(s) for a new town library to bring to the Voters for approval and to stop planning for a new library at the two present sites, the Old Harbor Hotel (current SAU site) and/or the Old Town Hall (58 Main Street)?”
Former library trustee Peter Urbach presented Article 25 at town session February 2 and said the “purpose was to give voters an alternative.” Urbach said the harbor proposal “disenfranchises 338 voters.” He said the vote in 2008 approved the Harbor Hotel site for the new library by only 15 votes, 353-338.
When presenting Article 23 earlier in the deliberative session, Library Building Committee Chair Barbara Chalmers said there was no “perfect site” for the new library and the committee had evaluated many options including expanding in-place and the Sunapee Center property.
Expanding in place would have its limitations and cost nearly as much, about $3 million, and the selectmen decided not to pursue the Sunapee Center property, Chalmers said.
Supporters of the project including library and Old Town Hall committee members, say the joint project would result in “more for less” and meet both library and historic preservation interests. It would allow for wider community use of the building, improve fund-raising potential, and improve the site plan design for the two properties with improved parking and green space.
The Old Town Hall is on the NH Register of Historic Places. In 2008, the NH Preservation Alliance listed it as one of Seven to Save and found it to be an important and threatened New Hampshire landmark. The town for more than a decade has been trying to build a new, more spacious library.
In the meantime, Chalmers and members of the OTH committee are trying to get information out to voters so they know about the concept plan and Article 23 and meetings are planned with the selectmen, town rec committee, Sunapee Seniors, and neighborhood groups.
See more information on the OTH-Library page.
Filed under: Abbott Library, Announcements, Government, Land Use, Learning & Libraries, Local Government, Recreation, Sunapee Harbor, Sunapee, NH 03782 Tagged: | Abbott Library, Historic Preservation, NH Preservation Alliance, Sunapee NH, Sunapee Old Town Hall
