 This program is brought to you by Cable franchise fees and generous donations from viewers like you. Good evening. We are going to call the meeting to order and then move immediately into the state of the town addresses. So let me start this by saying Governor Bakers March 12 order suspending certain provisions of the open meeting law allows us to hold this virtual town council meeting. I will call upon each counselor by name and at that time they should unmute and say they are present and then mute again. This is also how we will conduct questions later on in the general meeting. When you raise your hand. I'm also going to call on a couple other special guests who are with us this evening and part of the state of the town to make sure that they can also hear and be heard. I'm going to begin that we have a quorum of the council. I'm going to call the council meeting to order at 633. Let me start with the role. Present. Pat D'Angeles. Present. Darcy DuMont. Present. Lynn Griesmer. Present. Mandy Johanke. Present. Dorothy Pam. Present. Evan Ross. Present. George Ryan. Present. Kathy Shane. Present. Steve Schreiber. Present. Andy Steinberg. Present. Sarah Schwartz. Present. And Shalini Palmel. Present. I'd also like to make sure that the following people can hear me and we can hear them. Paul Backelman. Present. Allison McDonald. Present. And Austin Serrat. And also I'd like to point out that we're joined this evening by Superintendent Dr. Mike Morris and also Library Director Sharon Sherry. This is an evening that begins with the state of the town, which is a prescription of the charter. And I'm going to begin. And then after that, Paul Backelman will follow me. After that will be the chair of the school committee, Allison McDonald. And then we'll move on to Library Trustee President Austin Serrat. Okay, we have the slides, please. So welcome. This is the second state of the town address. It continues to be an honor and a privilege to serve as president of the Amherstown Council for our second year. I enjoy the challenge. Next slide, please. Our speakers tonight. As I mentioned before, our Paul Backelman, Allison McDonald and Austin Serrat. Next slide, please. And let me just say that this is an address, as I mentioned before required by section 2.2 of the charter. Next slide, please. The Amherstown Council is a group of 13 people. They are outstanding in many ways, very talented, individual and independently minded. Our at-large counselors are Alyssa Brewer, Mandy Jo Hanneke, and Andy Steinberg. Our District 1 counselors are Kathy Shane and Sarah Schwartz. Pat DeAngelis joins me in representing District 2. District 3 is represented by Dorothy Pam and George Ryan. And District 4 is represented by Evan Ross and Steve Schreiber. Representing District 5 are Charlene Balmille and Darcy Dumont. Now more than ever, each brings an important set of values and perspectives, much needed in this town. Each counselor strives to represent those who are not apparent in the body of the council. And while a virtual meeting limits how we are able to recognize people, I ask that you let them know of your appreciation. In the same way that you let them know about issues that are important to you. Next slide, please. Fulfilling the requirements of the charter. The program continues to fill the requirements of the charter, and we continue to take notes about what we would like to change. Upon recommendation of the planning board, we adopted the master plan this year, thus fulfilling one of the charter requirements. We also held public forums on the budget and the master plan, and other public forums required when we intend to spend money off cycle. Such as the purchase of a new energy efficient ambulance that allows for less emissions during standing at the hospital and other places. Each district council has that counselor has held no fewer than two district meetings. And our counselors are often present at the district meetings. There's no doubt that this year, this year has presented a major challenge that has defined all of us, but with the leadership of our town manager Paul Backelman, our outstanding director of the work of the town council Athena O'Keefe and our very adept information technology staff, we rapidly moved the meeting virtually as of Monday, March 16, 2020. In December, this year, we will have met 44 times this year in regular meetings, joint meetings and with the library and schools, or town meetings committees of the whole public forums and hearings. 37 of those meetings have been virtual. We look forward to seeing you all in person again. And that does not include town council committee meetings. We recognize that we reorganized our four standing committees and continue as members of the joint capital planning committee, along with the schools and library. And individual counselors are liaisons to eight town committees, and all are available to any committees. Well, the challenges of this year have limited in person meetings, counselors are regularly in contact with residents through email, phone, Facebook, news, newsletters, and yes, text messages. While we have not been able to gather on the town steps to read proclamations since March of 2020. The council continues to pass proclamations resolutions and attend numerous virtual meetings. One outstanding example is the resolution before the town council this evening. A resolution affirming the town of Amherst's commitment to end structural racism and achieve racial equity for black residents. To the extent possible we continue to attend events and meetings of other organizations, virtually of course, and on rare occasion outside socially distance and with masks on. Next slide. Despite the special challenges of the year. The council has had some notable accomplishments. Next slide. They include passage of the percent for art bylaw, the wage and tip theft bylaw responsible employer public construction contracts and agreements for tax relief bylaw, and prohibiting the use of wild and exotic animals and traveling shows and services. In addition to that, we have made amendments to the open container bylaw the single use of plastic bags and noise violations. Next slide please. We've taken some specific acts actions to support local businesses and farmers, they include adoption of a temporary zoning amendment and changes to the public way policy, allowing more rapid approval and flexible use of outdoor space for retail and dining in the downtown and village centers. We approved a plan for the farmers market to use the town commons, thus providing a safe and welcoming environment for one of the town's brightest events every week on Saturdays and performers one of the most profitable. And we've addressed other public way requests, helping local builders move their plans forward. Next slide please. In our budget once this year, we did it twice. We did a 112th budget and then an annual budget. And during the annual budget, we froze two police positions, which has forged the way to the appointment of the community safety working group by the town manager. So far, we have not dipped into our reserves to balance the budget. And while it includes limited capital dollars, we continue to improve our roads and sidewalks. Our audit as usual indicates sound financial management. Next slide. Right after the state of the town address last year, Amherst was accepted into the mass school business authority program to build or renovate and repair one elementary school. We have accepted a gift that allows us to make significant renovations and in addition to the North Amherst library. And we broke ground on the dog park, cut the ribbon on graph park, and the plans to build a playground at Kendrick Park continue forward. In the area of affordable housing, we have continued to support the renovation and construction of affordable studio apartments at 132 North Hampton Road. Stay tuned. Next slide. And the next slide. And the next slide. The next slide is a review as we looked at polling places and that led us to ensure safe access with significant resident input developed. We developed and improved a polling location plan that provided for safe conduct or the presidential primary and general elections. The future and our challenges as we move forward, we are facing several significant challenges. These are reflected in the town managers performance goals and include addressing community safety, racial equity and social justice. Identifying a path forward for our four major capital investments, adopting a climate action plan to help us reach our goals and supporting the economic recovery and vitality of Amherst. Our goals include also include continuing to pass responsible capital and operating budgets review and revising zoning bylaws and the adoption of a comprehensive housing plan. Other pending bylaws that you'll see include water sewer surveillance technology and facial recognition. And finally, continuing to make the counselor's job more manageable. Please bring to a close the comments this evening. Please allow me to focus on and thank the town manager and our outstanding town staff, as well as other others during this challenging time. You were still protected by our first responders police fire EMS and the Department of Public Works. The streets were plowed. You received water and sewer services. You were able to vote, pay your taxes, get a dog license or a building permit. In other words, our town staff kept the place moving forward, despite pandemic. In August, we evaluated the town manager's performance with input from residents committees, staff and all counselors. Paul Bachman was hired in 2016 and during this and he is now in his second contract with the town. He has confidence in local government. And this has never been more demonstrated as he addressed the impact of COVID-19. Never missing a beat. He did not hesitate to make the moves necessary to keep keep the town operational, yet safe. He challenged the university about their plans for returning students leading to significant positive responses from UMass and weekly meetings between the town and the university. Continuing to serve as clerk of the council is Athena O'Keefe. She is simply outstanding need to find something she can without hesitation. She helps all of us stay on track track. Never missing a beat. And we also want to recognize the many town committees and residents that serve on them. And the staff who also work with those committees. We have learned lessons from this period of virtual meetings that we need to examine carefully. And along with those committees incorporate them into our future meetings once we return in person. The members of our town committees apply to be on our committees. They get interviewed. They share their expertise in areas such as personnel, water supply and contaminants, energy and climate action, housing, etc. On behalf of the town council in the town of Amherst we thank you for your past and ongoing service, your willingness to provide us with sound advice and to put up with our sometimes far ranging questions. We really want to particularly acknowledge the planning board, the Board of Health and the Board of Licensed Commissioners. This year the planning board and the Board of Health helped move special legislation or passing special regulations to help our businesses and protect our residents. And once again, we recognize the Board of Licensed Commissioners for assisting businesses during these challenging times. To other serious notes of appreciation go to Amherst Media for working with us to bring meetings into residents home with the added features such as displaying the names of those who are in the audience. And to our residents, we have helped Amherst through these challenging times. Thank you and please continue to follow all guidance regarding gatherings, masks, social distancing and public health. As I close on the next slide, a few final observations. Nowhere in any of our election materials, speeches or panels, did we ever state or were we ever asked how we would respond as an elected official to a pandemic. But we did. And Amherst continues to move forward. The charter continues to be an outstanding document providing guidance to even the most obscure issues. In many ways in which we hear from our residents, ask that you continue to tell us when something is wrong, and when we get it right. Being president of the council means balancing once democratic ideals and the need for leadership. The council keeps me in line. But more most important to remember is we are all elected and each person has one vote. Leadership means hearing and seeking solutions. Please let your counselors know that you appreciate them and recognize the dedication they each bring to this important role in our community. We're going to move on to count to town manager Paul Bachman, who joined us in 2016, and rather than going to a lengthy introduction, I'm going to have Paul go right ahead. Thank you, Lynn. So, this is a different sort of state of the town speech. And we did even not that we have a long tradition, but we have one year of tradition and, but this there's no pomp there's no circumstance it's just another zoom meeting with people in little boxes talking to people who are at home on their computers. Most likely scanning the internet or reviewing email I see you. So I'm sure it'll be a cliche pretty soon to say that 2020 was a year like no other. And while I can continue to see challenges, especially during the next three to four months. I believe there are reasons for optimism. The next slide. So at first let's go back a year ago I reported on the accomplishments of 2019 and the advent of the new town council. We were discussing bold new initiatives like destination Amherst which would bring renewed attention to the tired center piece of our downtown in the construction of a privately funded performing art show and possibly a new garage and a new play structure and other improvements in Kendrick Park. Each of these projects were to be funded by a combination of state grants, private gifts and investments, business support Community Preservation Act fund and town funds. There were other initiatives in the pipeline affordable housing on North Hampton Road residential developments on Southeast Street University Drive extension and spring Street University was preparing to make significant new investments in its residential housing stock. We just received word as Lynn Bench mentioned that the Massachusetts School of Building Authority had agreed to fund a new elementary school in Amherst. Things were moving forward and long overdue needs were being addressed. Many of these projects and initiatives were put on hold priorities were reordered town staff were redeployed and all of our focus was on responding to this once in a century emergency. But in this may sound strange to you. I've never seen town staff more adaptable or perform better than in the past nine months during this pandemic crisis. This early March, I had called the department heads meeting. We've covered our normal updates but the focus of the meeting was this unknown virus and the limited knowledge we had of it at that time. I said to those in the room that this was likely the last time we would all be together in person for a very long time. I actually didn't really mean it. I mostly said it for dramatic effect drive the seriousness of the situation at home, but unfortunately it turned out to be true. And then our COVID response or what I call core team was meeting regularly. At first it was twice a week but by mid March we were meeting every morning seven days a week. There's so much information to process resources to Marshall staff to manage and so many decisions to make. We followed basic emergency management principles of incident command and force protection. We were making sure our command structure was clear and employees were safe and healthy, healthy so they could deliver the services of public needed. And we established operating principles, such as relying on the most recent science to deform our to inform our decision making. And lastly, we were explicit to honor the value of forgiveness. We were all making decisions quickly and with incomplete information. We had to be resilient and that required forgiveness. Although the scheduled decision making us uncertainty and sheer volume of work was grueling. There's great comfort camaraderie and mutual support among the team. Next slide. I want to recognize the core team by name because their work and commitment to the town was simply outstanding fire chief and emergency management director Tim Nelson, police chief Scott Livingstone, public work superintendent Mike Gilford mooring interim finance director and comptroller Sonya Aldridge assistant town manager David Zomac and providing leadership and subject area expertise was health director Julie Fetterman. Julie has since retired and didn't really get to have an a retirement party, but her knowledge and ability to provide a framework for decision making were crucial at the stage of the pandemic. I want her judgment, good cheer, and let's get this salt mentality, even if it was sometimes delivered with some salty language, working together with superintendent schools by Morris and library director Sharon Sherry. I want you all to know that the town was well served by these dedicated professionals. Next slide. One of the most vexing challenges was that of the most vulnerable members of our community, those without housing. We didn't really realize had no options if they had to quarantine at home because they had no home. We worked many hours developing options to find suitable housing. None worked out until Hampshire college step forward. When so many others could see only reasons not to act Hampshire's president and wing and back said, these are members of our community. They're in need. Of course will help. Let's get started. You remember actions like this at a time of crisis. Next slide. In the pandemic, the sheer number of initiatives initiatives undertaken by the town is impressive. Everything from emergency rental assistance for those who could not pay the rent to a range of actions designed to support local businesses. Many of these ideas came from the tireless creativity of the leaders of the chamber in the bid. We worked with the university and push back when we felt it necessary to ensure that bringing students back to the town would be done safely, both for the students and for the general population. I'm pleased to note that our ongoing relationship is steady and durable. Next slide. Every town department stepped up during the crisis, every single one. The communications manager organized and has hosted 33 community chats. These are the weekly calling shows where colors can ask me or any of our guests. Superintendent Morris was on last week. Any questions that they want. And we continue the monthly cup of Joe. I'll be at virtually at this point and this this we have another one coming up on Friday at eight o'clock. Next slide. In addition to these initiatives, some of them are listed here. Staff continued the work we were hired to do a new playground across park open ground was broken on a new dog park will continue to new move forward with the purchase of the Hickory Ridge golf course. An anonymous donor has promised to fund it in addition to the North Amherst library. Next slide. Town staff quickly implemented policies designed to sustain our residents and business community. The planning department shepherded the affordable housing on North Hampton Road through the comprehensive permitting process and reviewed and approved several other projects. Next slide. The town clerk's office put on two major elections under new rules utilizing social distancing protocols and dealing with a tortured national election process. The town clerk secured a foundation grant to ensure our election workers were safe. The IT staff has set up dozens of employees so they can work remotely if needed. LSE now record Amherst recreation totally transformed their operations taken on new tasks and doing jobs normally done by summer health. Next slide. The town was incredible at securing grants. You're not going to read them all here because there's so many. It's the largest being the most the recently announced 1.5 million mass works grant to improve Pomeroy Village and its intersection. We've raised millions of dollars through aggressive fund fundraising through grants. Next slide. The finance finance department prepared and as Lynn said the town council reviewed and passed two budgets for the FY 21 fiscal year one 12th budget then a full year budget. Next slide. The folks on FY 20 despite the challenges of COVID-19 we were able to finish the year with a positive balance as staff are able to offset unforeseen expenses with spending controls federal support and careful management. Even though revenues are down our finances are solid as we have made the hard choices to manage the taxpayers funds wisely. Next slide. We face many challenges this year and in the years ahead. Fortunately, we are well situated to withstand these difficulties and at this point to make progress on the many needs that we all recognize we must address the uncertainty creates a difficult environment for all of our budgets. Next slide. Our entire operation is predicated on a strong financial foundation, and we are rock solid, but we must be vigilant to maintain this solid footing. We face many challenges moving forward. We have taken on the job of improving community safety to ensure that we live in a community that is safe for black and brown people. We stay committed to making the town a leader in sustainability by taking steps to move forward on climate action initiatives. Next slide. This year has been energizing and exhausting moments of frustration and disappointment have been offset time and again with flashes of selflessness and genuine acts of kindness. I appreciate all of this. Or more accurately because of all this I am pleased to report that the state of the town is strong. I appreciate the opportunity to serve you and the people of Amherst. I'm privileged to work with an incredible staff. I love living and working and being part of the special community. And I appreciate the progressive intelligent governance provided by the town council little, and most directly the leadership and guidance provided by town council president Lynn Griesmer. I thank you for the opportunity to serve. We're going to move on to Allison McDonald. Allison moved to Amherst 18 years ago, choosing Amherst for the strong reputation of its public schools. She is a communications and marketing professional. And since 2015 has worked with the Hadley based national nonprofit venture well. For the last 20 years, she has volunteered with the parent PGO at Fort River and helped out with her son's youth sports events. After serving on the district's enrollment working group. In 1917, I mean in 2017 I'm sorry Allison you're not that old. Allison was elected to the school committee in 2018. She is now serving as chair for both the Amherst and the regional school committees. Allison, it's your turn. Thank you. You can go to the next slide please. The Amherst public schools host a diverse and engaged student body that leads in our communities in many ways, including through political and civic advocacy, gardening programs, community enrichment, performing arts, academics and cultural events. This school year has placed many new demands on all of us, including learning new ways of teaching and learning. We are proud of our students, educators, staff and volunteers for their efforts, their many efforts in the face of these challenges. Next slide please. Amherst has three public schools that serve nearly 1000 students in grades K through six and an additional 32 students and pre K are three schools Wildwood Fort River and Crocker farm are roughly similar in size and demographics. Our student population is highly diverse, and more than half are black indigenous or other people of color. Half of our students are high needs as defined by the State Department of elementary and secondary education or desi one in three are economically disadvantaged and more than one in five have disabilities. Our elementary school budget for the current year is $23.9 million. Next slide please. We enjoy a strong statewide reputation for all of our public schools, a legacy that our community values and prioritizes a few highlights in our elementary schools include the district consistently meets state progress and accountability goals, the persistent gaps remain among our high needs students and other groups. We provide art, music and technology education through weekly specials classes, as well as through integration into grade level unit studies. And we enjoy low average class sizes to promote learning and a student teacher ratio of approximately nine to one. Next slide. Amherst is one of four member towns in a regional school district with two secondary schools. The Amherst regional middle school serving grades seven and eight and the Amherst regional high school serving grades nine through 12. The schools serve a total of 1283 students from the four towns Amherst, Pelham, Leveret and Shootsbury. Our student population in the regional schools is also highly diverse and nearly half are BIPOC. Nearly half of the students are high needs as defined by desi with nearly one in three being economically disadvantaged and more than one in five having disabilities. Our secondary schools budget for the current fiscal year is $32.1 million. Next slide. Like our elementary schools, our regional schools enjoy an excellent reputation thanks to our dedicated and high quality educators, staff and administrators. Our schools provide strong community and school programs that support student well being and social emotional health, including our family center, the bright program and restorative practices. We prioritize smaller class sizes that promote learning. Our schools provide high quality in district specialized programs for intensive special needs students and we offer a wide array of electives, clubs and sports, which together which define the rich character of our regional schools. Next slide. Looking a little deeper at our budgets, our current year budget of $23.9 million included a total net reductions of over $700,000 versus what was needed to provide the same level of services a year ago. Next slide. Looking at next fiscal year, the draft budget proposed in November is a reduction from this year and is level funded versus 2019-20. This would be a $1.4 million less than what is needed to provide services level to our 2019-20 school year and would mean permanent cuts to those level services. Next slide. Taking a look at the regional schools budget, the current year budget of $32.1 million includes a total net reduction versus a level services budget of over $800,000. The town of Amherst funds $16.4 million of that budget. Level funding in 21-22 would be nearly $1.7 million in what is needed to provide services at the same level as 2019-20 and would mean dramatic and permanent cuts that would fundamentally change our regional schools. Next slide. Student enrollment in our elementary schools has been declining in recent years and declines this year during the pandemic were steeper than prior trends. The district recently surveyed families who have left the schools and the presentation of results are available on the school committee webpage. Next slide. The proportion of our students in elementary schools who are high needs grew this year and is comparable to the overall trends in the state. Next slide. Our elementary student population is more diverse than the state average. Next slide. Similar to the trend in our elementary schools, regional schools student enrollment declines were steeper in the current year and the results from that survey are also in the same presentation on the website. Next slide. Regional school student population is roughly comparable to the state averages with regard to needs. Next slide. And our regional student population is comparable to the state averages with regard to diversity. Next slide. Both districts and our communities have prioritized increasing the diversity within our staff with support from our participation in the Minority Student Achievement Network or MSAN, which is a national coalition of multiracial school districts that have come together to eliminate opportunity and achievement gaps that persist in their schools, as well as teacher diversification grants from the state. The district has realized a 47% increase in BIPOC staff since 2015. Those staff now represent 28% of our total staff up from 19% in 2015. Next slide. Looking forward, here are some of the key initiatives and challenges we are focusing on this year. As part of the pandemic learning plan, we developed a robust plan that prioritized in-person learning, yet it is unclear when students will return to the buildings. Going into next year, we will need to focus additional support to address the learning loss and academic deficits that are exacerbated by this extended period of distance learning. As mentioned earlier by others, we were accepted last year into the MSBA program to support a new elementary school building to replace Fort River and Wildwood. As the pandemic restrictions are lifted and we return to full in-person learning, we will face significant space challenges at those two schools, Fort River and Wildwood, due to COVID alterations that effectively eliminated half the learning and working rooms in those schools, including the rooms where specials are taught. Third, we are facing significant budget pressure this year following the cuts made to meet level funding and further pressure in the coming school year due to the increased needs and the further cuts needed to meet level funding going into next year. On a brighter note, we built off of a highly successful first year of the Cominantes dual language program at Fort River and expanded this year to 36 kindergarten and 38 first grade students. Next slide please. We are working on this year includes social and emotional well-being of our students and staff, defining post-pandemic education, and continuing to work to increase teacher and staff diversity. Work that will be supported by another state teacher diversification grant of $110,000 that was recently awarded to the district. Next slide. We expect to complete and report on two studies in the coming year, one on the viability and implications of moving sixth grade to the middle school and one on expanding access to early childhood education in Amherst. Last slide. We thank you for your support and we invite you all to share your questions with me and my colleagues on the school committee or with Superintendent Dr. Morris and our email addresses are on the slide. Thank you very much. It's informative. Austin's rec will now be providing remarks on behalf of the Jones library trustees is a professor and administrator at Amherst college where he has been for 46 years. He has served in a variety of other capacities, including the zoning board of appeals, as well as the board of the common school and a volunteer at Amherst neighbors. I would like to stop with that Austin and let you go ahead please. Thank you Lynn. Thanks for the opportunity to address the council and my colleagues and the citizens of Amherst. I present this report on behalf of the Jones library at the end of what clearly has been a very challenging year to say that 2020 has been marked by uncertainty fear loneliness and loss. It's the obvious psychological and sociological and personal facts of this pandemic year. Perhaps less obvious fact is how important library services has been during the pandemic. Following town guidelines are buildings closed yet town libraries remained open via online access. Library services and programs have been lifelines for the old in the young, the well often the disadvantaged, long time residents and those who are new to the community are services of connected town residents to each other to library staff and to the vital resources that the library provides. If 2020 is indeed rightly characterized by uncertainty, fear, loneliness and loss. Other words, resiliency, creativity, invention, devotion, indeed dare I say courage are the appropriate ways to name the work done by our library director and her wonderful staff. Never has Sharon Sherry's abolience, optimism and can do spirit in more in evidence and more necessary. Without her, the library's considerable achievements this year would have been impossible. So as Sharon herself would say a huge shout out to Sharon and her staff. And thanks also to my fellow trustees Bob Pam, Alex Lefebvre, Lee Edwards, Tammy E. Lee and Chris Hoffman. They have provided a steady hand as the library has had to navigate the challenges of 2020. And they've kept their eyes on the future making sure that planning for the much needed and long overdue renovation and expansion of the Jones would be brought to fruition. Thanks to each of them. Now let me say briefly a word about the day to day work of the libraries this year. During covert closure, our overall circulation dropped by 14%. That in itself is not a surprise. Still, our staff has received and responded to more than 1000 requests for materials each week, and has sent 500 items a week through into library loan to other libraries around the state. Our library staff has gone out of its way to call and reach out to patrons, who they knew to be regular users of the library in order to apprise them of ways that they could continue to access library holdings. And if patrons could not come to the buildings during library hours. Staff have accommodated and made deliveries to them. Not surprisingly the number of items we delivered has doubled in comparison with last year. And our fabulous reference department has been similarly busy answering inquiries from residents. We've expanded our digital resources and move several in person services online, including library card application and renewal. We've also launched a print from home service for patrons, who in the past were able to come into the library to print. And we've expanded our Wi Fi hotspot lending program. Last year we had 10 hotspots to lend this year 30. And covert is certainly affected how the library expanded its funds this year. If patrons were required to stay home starting in March, the library focused much of its purchasing on content rather than physical items. And operations and maintenance expenses increased by 37% and 8% percent respectively due to the need for extra cleaning supplies and PPE. Once the building reopened. The utility costs on the other hand decreased by 28% due to the closure. Since March, the library staff has done a truly remarkable job moving programming online. They've created a series of interviews with the local authors. These interviews have been live streamed on Facebook and have introduced viewers to recently published titles in fiction nonfiction and children's literature. We have distinguished authors in our community. The children's nonfiction book discussion group continues as does our very popular sing with your little one. And our new civics and democracy series provides monthly programs to help people understand both the virtues and challenges associated with participation in democratic government. English is a second language has also successfully adapted to the covert world. Conversation circles have continued, which was important because our ESL students were isolating linguistically as well as socially during this year. And our community can be particularly proud that to ESL students have been have gained citizenship this year. And every week remarkably library staff went to the Amherst farmers market where people could use a laptop, sign up for library cards, or indeed borrow some craft kits. Since last spring, the library has been busy working on an anti racism agenda, coordinating with townwide efforts to ensure that we tear down all barriers to equal and dignified treatment. Of all Amherst residents. But in all of this work, we've had to cope with the serious inadequacies of the Jones building. Our special collections department again sustained damage resulting from an HVAC system, long in need of replacement. And covert is further highlighted the building's shortcomings. Among other things, the Jones rooms in the Jones are too small to have multiple people in them. And our HVAC system, you not provide an acceptable air exchange rate. During this year, the trustees completed all needed steps to present the town council with with what we regard as a compelling renovation and expansion plan. A plan that will help the library be adequate to the work it does for all residents, but especially for our most vulnerable citizens. This plan will move the Jones from being one of the least sustainable facilities in Amherst to making it a national model for sustainability. And let me be clear, no one will derive greater benefit from our plan to renovate and expand the library. Then the disadvantage and dispossessed in our community. They rely on the library, its hospitality and its space. And what we've been able to provide them in the past has been barely adequate to their needs. And we can learn from the experience of almost every neighboring community, which has renovated and expanded their library about the importance of those renovations and expansion to the disadvantaged and the dispossessed. The trustees decided to ask the town council to vote on our proposal by the end of April, realizing full well the fiscal challenges that Amherst now faces. We did so for multiple reasons, not the least of which was because we expect to be formally awarded a state grant in July of 2021. Unless it be forgotten or simply taken for granted, the library had to do an enormous amount of work to prepare for and submit and succeed in winning the state grant. Taking advantage of the state funding is a once in a decade opportunity. We've asked the town council to vote by the end of April because we are convinced that we have a sound and feasible plan for financing the project. We did so in addition, because the serious maintenance issues and structural problems which plague the Jones urgently need to be addressed. We've asked the council to vote on our plan, because the alternative to a renovation and expansion stays very little money, and is clearly inferior. As requested by the town council we investigated the cost of repairing the existing building and found that it would cost between 14 and $16 million simply to repair the building and make it accessible as required by law. This is close to the amount that town would have to contribute to achieve a renovated expanded accessible and sustainable Jones library. We asked the town council to vote on our proposal by the end of April because delay risks post both an escalation in cost and further deterioration in the building. We did so because children, teens, English language learners, immigrants, disadvantaged people, students of Amherst history, families, book lovers and all those who flock to the Jones deserve a facility that is as inspiring as their dreams. But most importantly, we did so because in these dark and dangerous times. We do not want to put the future on hold a renovated and expanded Jones will we believe be a beacon of hope and a reminder that a great town deserves a great library. We look forward to working closely with the town council as it determines when and how to consider our plan and our request. But remember what I said about this year of uncertainty, fear, loneliness and loss. During this year we were reminded yet again that Amherst libraries are among the town's most important facilities. Indeed, history teaches that libraries have always always played a critical role in disaster recovery, whether in the depression, or following Katrina, or in communities devastated by hurricanes. Post COVID residents of the town who've been cooped up and confined will no doubt eagerly return to the Jones the months and and the soon to be expanded North Amherst library appreciating all the more the chance to take advantage of the democratic spaces they provide. And as we all know public libraries in fact one of the last free spaces in the United States where vulnerable populations can seek out unemployment assistance, have internet and computer use and daytime shelter from the streets. In conclusion, 2020 has shown us again that Amherst libraries aren't only in the business of books. They're in the build business of building, serving sustaining and strengthening our community. Thanks so much. Thank you for your comments Austin. I want to just acknowledge that joining us tonight at least on the website through zoom are several members of the school committee and the library trustees. I want to mention that in the packet that's available for the meeting tonight is both the annual report from the schools, the library, and also the annual report from Carol Gray, who is the Oliver Smith Elector, and also Doug slaughter who is chair of the Board of Citizens commissioners, and also Michael Burkhart for the Amherst housing authority. And with that we're going to now conclude our part of the tonight's meeting that is in fact the state of the town, and move on to the regular meeting of the town council. Thank you for joining us for this part.