Some Wild Reads for Kids

The Hubbardston Public Library is participating in the state-wide Summer Reading program. This year's theme is Wild Reads at Your Library.

Children are encouraged to participate by coming into the Library to sign up. They will receive rewards based on their choice of books or pages read or time spent reading. Happy reading!

The Library is Number 6

Several inquiries have come into the Library regarding the July 29 ballot wording. (See below for additional Special Election information.)

The Library is part of Culture and Recreation, article number 6 on the ballot. Article 6 includes the Library's day-to-day operating budget - staff, books and materials, regular maintenance, etc. Article 6 also includes the Park Commission, Historical Commission and the Memorial Day events.

The Library is also mentioned in article number 7. This item is asking if voters wish to set aside funds for future capital expenditures - repairs, major upkeep, items beyond the regular operating budget. The Library's portion is $5,000 and will be set aside and added to future funds until it is needed.

So, What is a Library Worth?

Check out this worksheet to find out how much a library can save you!

(This link takes you to the Beaman Memorial Library in West Boylston who, in turn, borrowed the worksheet from the Bancroft Library in Hopedale. Libraries are all about sharing!)

Services Given a Second Chance

Information as it appears on the Town web site:
(items in parenthesis do not appear on the ballot nor on the Town website. They have been added by this site to help make the information clearer.)

SPECIAL ELECTION TUESDAY, JULY 29, 2008

1. Shall the Town of Hubbardston be allowed to assess an additional $ 24,764 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the General Government operating budget of the Town for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand and eight?
Yes ________No ________

(Accountant, Administrator, Assessor, Clerks, Conservation, Counsel, Custodian, Elections, Moderator, Personnel Board, Phones & Copiers, Planning, Secretary, Select Board, Slade Building, Tax Collector, Town Clerk, Treasurer)

2. Shall the Town of Hubbardston be allowed to assess an additional $ 142,059 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the Public Safety budget for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand and eight?
Yes ________No ________

(Dispatch, Fire, Police)

3. Shall the Town of Hubbardston be allowed to assess an additional $105,347 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the Education budget of the Town for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand and eight?
Yes ________No ________

(Monty Tech, Quabbin, Transportation)

4. Shall the Town of Hubbardston be allowed to assess an additional $51,057 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the Public Works budget of the Town for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand and eight?
Yes ________No ________

(Cemeteries, Equipment, Fuel, Highway, Lights, Plowing)

5. Shall the Town of Hubbardston be allowed to assess an additional $12,099 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the Human Services budget of the Town for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand and eight?
Yes ________No ________

(Board of Health, Council on Aging, Elderly Van, Recycling, Veterans’ Services)

6. Shall the Town of Hubbardston be allowed to assess an additional $60,868 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the Culture and Recreation budget of the Town for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand and eight?
Yes ________No ________

(Historical Commission, Library, Memorial Day, Parks, Recreation )

7. Shall the Town of Hubbardston be allowed to assess an additional $43,500 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the targeted stabilization accounts for police, fire, highway, library and facilities for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand and eight?
Yes ________No ________

8. Shall the Town of Hubbardston be allowed to assess an additional $150,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding road maintenance and repair and/or as matching grant funds for said purpose, for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand and eight?
Yes ________ No ________

Notice of New Hours

Please note that the Library will be adjusting it's hours for July and August. Beginning July 2, the Library will only be open on Wednesdays, 9 am to 4 pm and Thursdays from 1 pm until 7 pm. The Library is fully operational during those hours, including Inter Library Loan. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our patrons.

This effort to keep the Library staffed and open in order to maintain certification will be funded using our very small savings as there are no municipal funds available after June 30. The July 29 vote will determine future hours and funding.

Thank you for your continued support and be sure to keep checking this site for updates.

Just in case you missed it...

..we're allowing Inter Library Loan again until the proposed July 29 vote. This is an effort to keep our services at the current level in order to maintain our certification. We will continue to adjust our operations as needed as things change. Keep checking here for updates.

Now, go borrow books!

The Library on NECN & other media

Other media coverage has included articles in local papers including The Gardner News, as excerpted here from Friday, June 13:


Effects felt across town after override failure
By Daniel Kittredge - News Staff WriterPublished On Friday, June 13, 2008
HUBBARDSTON - ...

The override’s failure also has dire consequences for the Hubbardston Public Library, which Library Trustee Rhonda Hamer said is set to close June 28.

While the approved fiscal 2009 budget includes funds for building maintenance, funding for staff and supplies was contingent on the override. Ms. Hamer said the library has ceased its interlibrary loan program, and the trustees “are looking into the legal and financial possibilities of other options.”

The library building was given to the town as a gift from Clark University founder and Hubbardston native Jonas Clark 134 years ago to serve as a free and municipally-funded public library, and Ms. Hamer said much uncertainty exists regarding deed requirements and the ramifications of the facility’s closure.

Town counsel is currently working with the trustees to help answer such questions as to whether the deed requires the library be 100 percent town-funded, she said. It also remains unclear whether Mr. Clark’s estate or heirs have any interest in reacquiring the town-owned facility, she said, or would instead leave it to the town “in the spirit in which it was given, as a gift.”

Ms. Hamer said the “worst-case scenario” will involve the library operating as a free-standing facility independent of the regional network, although liability and staffing issues would need to be addressed before that occurs.

dkittredge@thegardnernews.com

Other articles have appeared in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette and are easily found through their On the Common page dedicated to Hubbardston news and allows reader comments.

National media has taken an interest in this as well. See what the Library Journal has to say on it's web site.

Speak Up, Be Heard

There is an additional vote being held on July 29 - the details of the ballot are still being worked out. Tell your Select Board you want choices! The next Select Board meeting is Thursday, June 19 at 7 pm in the Slade Building.

The following article appeared in today's Gardner News:

Selectmen set Thursday vote to finalize new override plan

By Daniel Kittredge - News Staff Writer
Published On Tuesday, June 17, 2008

HUBBARDSTON — Following a lengthy public forum and a tabled motion to set a new Proposition 2 1/2 override vote for July 29, the Board of Selectmen Monday night set an additional Thursday meeting at which its members plan to approve a finalized override proposal to bring before voters.

Selectman Paul Hale made the initial motion, seconded by Selectman Kristie Casey, to set a new July 29 ballot at which voters would act on three override questions — $356,000 for town government and education, $150,000 for road repair and maintenance and $43,500 to fund municipal stabilization funds.

The proposal, which Mr. Hale had prepared in advance of the meeting, essentially divided the $635,000 override that narrowly failed in a June 10 vote into three parts. He said he favored holding a new vote as quickly as possible — the law requires the selectmen notify the town clerk of a vote no later than 35 days in advance — and presented the three-question ballot as a way to provide voters with options.

“There’s choices in there,” he said, suggesting the new approach would address concerns that many residents expressed about the town’s fiscal 2009 budget approach. “If we wait until September (for a new vote), we’re in real bad shape.”

Mr. Hale ultimately tabled the motion after expressing a willingness to further separate the requested override into separate line items. While Mr. Hale and Selectman Matthew Castriotta expressed a willingness to act on the motion, Town Clerk Joyce Green said June 23 would be the final day for a ballot to be set in time for a July 29 vote, and the select board chose to wait until Thursday to allow additional discussion and the finalizing of the ballot language.

The three-question override proposal elicited varying responses from the officials and residents in attendance, some of whom felt it largely ignored the sentiments expressed at the meeting and others who disagreed with what was characterized as a “menu” approach.

Finance Committee member Ed Blanchard said Mr. Hale’s motion concerned him, and asked why a public forum had been held if the selectmen had already chosen and prepared a course of action.

“Where does the input from the people come in?” he asked.

Reaction was split to what Mr. Castriotta called a “government by menu” approach. Some, like Joe Bartolomei — who voted against the override — said his opposition was rooted in the fact that he “wanted a choice” beyond the two-budget, override-contingent approach town officials had taken.

Laura Foley also spoke favorably about a new vote with additional options. “What can we lose by putting it to that kind of a vote?” she said, noting that at present the town is prepared to begin fiscal 2009 with layoffs and lost services across the board.

Others, though, suggested that breaking the override down into line items would contradict the town’s fiscal planning and place municipal departments in competition with each other.

“I don’t know that that’s going to bring people together to support each other,” said Mr. Castriotta of breaking the override down into line items.

Patricia Gregson made a similar point, noting the narrow 600-567 margin against the override and warning of the consequences of the proposed new approach.

“We were so close to passing it last time that pitting department against department is in no one’s best interest,” she said.

Thursday’s meeting is set for 6 p.m. at the Slade Building. The finance committee has a meeting set for 7 p.m. at the Slade Building Wednesday.

dkittredge@thegardnernews.com
____

Looking for more information on this? Contact your Select Board in advance - give them a call or an email. Contact information can be found at the Town web site.

Some good news...

Inter Library Loan has been reinstated until further notice. Borrow away!

Back by popular demand - pastel painting!

Pastel painter Gregory Maichack will be returning to the Library to teach his art to others. In the da Vinci Mode, Greg will present from the perspective of Leonardo da Vinci’s working methods, giving participants an engaging hands-on experience of pastel painting with beginning to advanced techniques.


Greg has filled his programs at the Library for the last 2 years so sign up soon! And if you've participated in his past programs, consider this one as well as the techniques will be new.


June 23, 6-8 pm, FREE.


This program is supported in part by a grant from the Hubbardston Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Closing June 28

It is with deep sadness that we, the Library Trustees and Staff, inform you that the Hubbardston Library as we currently know it will be closing Saturday, June 28.

The 600 people who voted NO for the override made a decision that affects the remaining 4000+ residents of Hubbardston. This means the Library is no longer funded through the Town budget including staff salaries. Many other Town services are cut as well, many of which will affect our public safety.

To those remaining 567 who supported the Library through their vote, THANK YOU! The override vote failed by a mere 34 votes.

The Library will be operating as usual through June 28. The future of the Library past that point is uncertain. With the loss of town funding, we will no longer be able to be a certified library. This means there will no longer be inter library loans and Hubbardston residents will lose the privilege of borrowing from other libraries.

Please check this site again soon for further details.

Our Video Blog

Recently, resident cinematographer Gary Kangas compiled some thoughts from residents regarding the library and other services. Take a peek to see what folks young and old in town have to say and see some of the work of one of Hubbardston's artists.

Don't forget to vote!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - the polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm at the HCS Library (enter on Main St.). See you there!