A Better Library for Madison

Faq's

A: There are basically three reasons why we believe it is a good time to pursue this project when the economy is soft:

In sum, Madison will be able to realize lower construction costs and lower interest rates now, reap the benefits of these lower costs throughout the life of the bond financing, and in the process create a new modern library that will enhance downtown for many years to come.

A: The Library has agreed with the Town that it will be responsible for 25% of the total cost, and is asking the Town to provide just 75%. The Town’s portion will be provided from capital bonds, which will allow the cost to be spread out over 20 years, much like a home mortgage. The Referendum on November 4th will ask voters to approve a maximum expenditure by the Town of $13.3 million, repayment of which over the life of the bonds will average just about 25 cents a day for the typical Madison homeowner.

A: This is a public building that will serve Madison for generations and possibly centuries. The project is intended to bring Madison a modernized, updated, and enlarged library for the 21st century. The design of the building has been determined by the needs of Scranton Library to meet the changing nature of services offered by all libraries – more programs aimed at groups of different ages, more access to computer stations, more spaces for local groups to meet, more quiet spaces to read and study. The Scranton project will cost a little more because we want to preserve our 108-year-old original building, and we need to demolish certain inefficient parts of that building as well as five other buildings on Library property. With their unique design and structural requirements, libraries are among the most expensive type of structures to build (even more expensive than schools).

A: The Library has agreed with the Town that it will be responsible for 25% of the total cost, and is asking the Town to provide just 75%. The Town’s portion will be provided from capital bonds, which will allow the cost to be spread out over 20 years, much like a home mortgage. The Referendum on November 4th will ask voters to approve a maximum expenditure by the Town of $13.3 million, repayment of which over the life of the bonds will average just about 25 cents a day for the typical Madison homeowner.

A: The bond payments will cost the average homeowner in Madison (home valued at $568,000) about 25 cents per day on average over the life of the Town’s bond financing. This cost of repaying principal and interest can be fixed and will not increase over time The Library project will be coming on stream as the peak indebtedness of the Town’s other projects - such as the Town Campus, Police Station, High School, and Rockland Preserve - is starting to decrease.

A: Absolutely not. Nationwide, and especially here in Madison, library use is increasing dramatically. Computers have brought a whole new group of users into the library and our Library’s online services, such as e-newsletters and databases, have increased borrowing and readership. The Scranton Library’s existing computers are so popular that people are restricted to 30 minutes use. The expanded library will have more than 30 public use computers located throughout the facility.

Current studies show that library usage nationwide typically rises faster than the population being served. This is especially true in Madison, where per capita library usage is twice the average of libraries in Connecticut.

A: The Scranton Library is, by declaration of the Connecticut State legislature, Madison's designated free public library. The fact that the building is not owned by the town and the employees are not town employees is not unusual in Connecticut. Furthermore, the Town will be protected by a Public-Private Cooperation Agreement, which will stipulate that the ownership of the library premises will transfer to the Town in the unlikely event that the Library ever "goes out of the library business." The Town will have voting representation on the Library Board of Trustees.

A: No, in fact we project that operating costs will increase by only 15%. There are a number of reasons for that. A major one is that the Library’s primary expense is its staff costs – and thanks to operating efficiencies that will now be possible including self-checkout, only 1 or 2 new employees will be required. In addition, more efficient heating & air conditioning, modern and natural lighting, better insulation, and “green” building techniques will greatly improve operating efficiencies.

A: This requires a longer answer than we have space for (but see other links on this site for more). The simple answer is that a bigger library to meet Madison’s needs is way overdue. The Library is overcrowded. It could do so much more for our Town – if we had the room and a modern design. The children’s room was built in 1965 – for a much smaller population with far smaller expectations about library services. Quiet reading and meeting areas have disappeared to cope with a bigger collection and computers. Modern libraries are less repositories for books (although that function continues), and more about providing space for a wide variety of people activities. The 1989 addition was helpful, but frankly undersized by the time it was built. Necessary cost-cutting and lack of full support by the Town government kept it from being the size that would have met present and long-term future needs.

A: R.J. Julia has been a wonderful addition to downtown Madison and to our community. But our Program Center (which is not in any way fixed-seat auditorium) is designed primarily to provide much needed space for library programs, meeting space for community groups, flexible space for other community events such as lectures and art exhibits, and space for library fundraisers. The few R.J. Julia events that are held at the Library each year are a win-win-win. R.J. sells some books, the Library collects a fee or donations, and the citizens of Madison benefit by being able to hear world famous authors and newsmakers who otherwise would be unlikely to visit our town.

A: The brick Hull building is in poor condition with leaky roof and basement. Also it is not code compliant for a library and its mechanical and plumbing systems would have to be replaced. The floors would not line up with the new building. The building is not historically important and is not on the list of historic structures. With its significant structural shortcomings, to incorporate the Hull Building in the expanded library would result in an overall increase in the cost of the project.

A: In broad terms, the Library Expansion Project consists of demolishing parts of the existing library and other buildings on the premises, building a new addition that is essentially a single structure, and building a simple Library Program Center at the north end of the property. The only separable construction “stage” might be the Program Center, but since the cost of the Center is only about 5% of the total project, it seems economically inefficient not to incorporate it at the outset.

A: Bit of background about the Guilford Library project – Three years ago, Guilford voters rejected the initial proposal for a library expansion. The project was scaled back and subsequently won voter approval. In September of this year, Guilford opened its newly expanded library building, built at a cost substantially less than the proposed Madison project, but at a size substantially less than first envisioned.

What are the main differences between our proposal and Guilford’s completed expansion?

A: Yes! The main entrances will be handicap accessible, as will all areas of the Library. That is a big improvement over the many deficiencies in the current building, which was built before the ADA went into place. Perhaps the biggest improvement for the disabled, the elderly, and parents with young children will be the drive-up book-drop and on-site parking.

A: You can get an absentee ballot in person at Town Hall, by phone (203) 245-5672, or online
at http://madisonct.org/Clerk/clerkregis.htm. Note that non-residents who pay at least $1000 in Madison taxes are eligible to vote on this referendum issue (and you can do it in person or by absentee ballot).