 There are 251 town meeting members 126 constitutes a quorum the Constable informs me that a quorum is present the sixth session of the 259th annual town meeting will now come to order Quick review of the schedule. I Believe the motion at the end of the evening will be to adjourn to Thursday May 11th if you vote Yes, we will adjourn to tomorrow if you vote no If you vote no, there will be another motion to adjourn to next Monday May 15th Reminders from the moderator seats on the floor of the auditorium may be occupied only by town meeting members except for the front row Which may be used by members of the press by members of town committees and town staff participating in the presentation Such persons must wear non-voter stickers which are available at the check-in table Spectators and town residents who are not town meeting members may be seated in the bleachers to the rear of the auditorium If you wish to speak you must raise your hand and be recognized You must hold up a card to indicate your position green indicates Yes red no and a white card indicates that you wish to speak without advocacy or to ask a question If you need more than three minutes or more than five on speaking to your motion You must request additional time before speaking and town meeting will vote on your request if you are able to stand When speaking please do so. I Will not accept a motion for the previous question if the speaker is holding a red or a green card Non-members who wish to speak should stand at the rear of the right-hand aisle Which is the aisle in front of me any registered voter of the town of Amherst who is recognized by the moderator may speak without special permission Others may speak with the permission of a majority If you're making an amendment to a motion the amendment must be presented in writing with four copies submitted to the town clerk the moderator town manager and staff and the chair of the finance committee if you make any motion from the floor It must be the first thing you do after you've been recognized and have identified yourself You cannot speak first and then make a motion If not already done so, please check your cell phone. Make sure it is silenced or off Congratulations to the following people who've been elected to the town meeting coordinating committee Pat Holland Alan Powell and Chris Riddle Thank you in advance for your service. We're now going to do an electronic voting test everybody should have their device and it should be turned on and Remember a one is yes a two is no a three is abstain Hey, I'm a sec. I hear a point of order Cynthia Rhodes precinct seven. I wasn't given a device because it was given to someone else I'm sorry. I can't see who's speaking or where you are Okay, you checked in but they didn't give you a device. Yeah, they gave it to someone else So we need to figure that out We won't actually do the test you once you get up and go back to the check-in table and the town clerk will meet you there Go back to that corner there They're waving to you Everybody else happy with their device. It's turned on in the future if you check in and they don't give you device Come right up here and talk to the clerk and we'll take care of it Okay, so again one is yes two is no three is abstain you never need to press any other buttons on your device There may be a lag time of a few seconds when you press the button to when your vote is displayed a vote to abstain will be recorded But it will not count towards the results at the end of the voting window I'll check that everyone can see their vote displayed on their device at the end of the evening Please power off your device to do that you press and hold the power button until the LED displays clear Then return your device to the side where you picked it up Okay, we are now ready for a test vote whenever There we go Every anybody who does not see their result displayed their vote displayed on their device Good Wait hang on who said right here Stand up, please. I can't Okay, so you don't see the way you voted displayed in your device Hang on they're coming to take a look Okay, you all set now Okay, as soon as okay, you can display the results or do we need to wait for Sean to display the results Go for it and the answer is no And you can read all about it Okay, thank you We have three procedural motions moving three different articles to a date and time certain I call on Ms. Brewer for the first motion I Move that we hear article 30 on Monday, May 15 1705 Is there a second motion made and seconded you may speak to your motion article 30 is the special act local voting rights for legal Permanent resident non-citizens those of you who've been in town meeting for a while know that we have done this before It is being brought back again to you by the Human Rights Commission But unfortunately the chair of the Human Rights Commission who had hoped to speak to this is not available tonight But we'll be back on Monday Is their discussion before we come to a vote I See no hands. We now come to a vote if a majority vote yes We will hear article 30 on Monday, May 15th at 7 0 5 all those in favor, please say aye Opposed please say no the eyes have it and now Ms. Swift to make a motion out Alice Swift precinct 8 I move that we hear article 39 on May Monday, May 15th at 7 10 I Hear the second you may speak to your motion That article is a carbon pollution fee and rebate and I've been working with Deanne Riddle on this and I would not be able to be here on Wednesday So I would really like to be able to have this discussed on Monday Is there further discussion before I come to a vote? All those in favor of the procedural motion moving article 39 to 7 10 on Monday, May 15th, please say aye Opposed no the eyes have it and I now call on mr. Hayden to make a motion Aaron Hayden precinct 8 I move that we consider article 41 on Monday, May 15th at 7 15 Motions remain in seconded you may speak to your motion the people who can most effectively speak to that article Are not available until that day or after that day? Is there discussion before we come to a vote? To majority vote all those in favor of moving article 41 to Monday, May 15th at 7 15, please say aye Post please say no The eyes have it so on Monday. We will start with article 30 then 39 then 41 Tonight's agenda. We will begin with article 23 the library preliminary design then article 42 Then we will go through the remaining articles in order beginning with 30 because 31 has been postponed I call on mr. Hoffman to make the motion for article 23. Oh, are you a town meeting member? Oh, you are? Okay, so they told me run for so I call on Ms. Lefebvre to make the motion Alex Lefeb precinct 10 and Jones library trustee I move in terms of the article Motion's been made and seconded you may speak your motion mr. Moderator. I would like to request an additional two minutes An additional two minutes for a total seven has been requested Without objection You may continue The library is before you tonight because we have two pressing needs We would like to try to address under one proposal The first is to address the much needed deferred maintenance and repairs to the Jones library building The second involves the constraints of our current building design and space limitations that create safety issues lack of accessibility for all of our patrons and precludes the library from fulfilling its mission statement which is to be a community hub to a diverse population of Amherst residents Where books are celebrated and all members of the community can enhance their educational cultural and lifelong learning pursuits in 2014 the library sought and received a $50,000 planning and design grant from the Massachusetts board of library commissioners or the mblc to begin to address these needs This grant allowed us to create a building program that would reflect the unique needs of our community both today and at least for the next 20 years a Building program is a list of the services our library will offer such as children teens ESL and the space needs associated with each of those services Town meeting approved the application for this grant and appropriated a $25,000 match toward the study To advisory committees building feasibility and design made up of community members library staff Friends of the Jones and trustees were created to develop the building program The library receives 250,000 visits from our patrons annually and over the course of two years the committee's held 23 open public meetings and the building program evolved to incorporate community feedback gathered through a variety of outreach such as public surveys Community forums and information sessions and interviews and tours with patron groups such as the disability access advisory committee Garden committee Rotary Club and students at the middle school This process revealed that many ways our community the many ways our community has changed with 34% of our population Now living below the poverty line 25% of our elementary students coming from families who speak English as a second language and the largest percentage of our population growth coming from people over the age of 65 These demographics led to consideration of the need for more computer terminals increased space for our award-winning ESL services and stress the need to address accessibility The committee also received feedback from teens who were eager to have their own space to study Conduct group work and use the library in a manner relevant to their specific needs Additionally Amherst remains a literary and highly educated community Creating a need to maintain our large and diverse collection This is evidenced by our circulation of over 490,000 materials annually which is the 20th largest in the state behind only Springfield and 18 public Boston libraries Service needs also reflect the additional space required by our founders vision that services like special collections Community-oriented meeting rooms and an art gallery within the library Bringing the community together in important and valuable ways Once the service needs were identified the next step to create the building program was to translate those needs into the physical square Footage required to house each service for example What you see here is the portion of the building program for our ESL services The chart reflects things like how many books chairs tables and computers are needed for our ESL services Each chair table book equates to a certain amount of square footage that was later visually translated by the architects to the preliminary layout In the case of space for ESL services You can see that the bulk of the new additional square footage Comes from the addition of one new tutoring room and two new project group session rooms that are marked on the slide in green Once the building program was finalized a separate committee was chosen to hire an architect The main criteria that formed the basis of selection was to hire a firm equally experienced in library design Historic preservation and net zero energy Fine Gold Alexander architects was chosen based on their proven track record on four other comparable Massachusetts library projects They're pioneering work in net zero energy buildings as well as their work on historic preservation Projects such as the John Adams Courthouse Law Library in Boston the Ellis Island National Monument and the Old Chapel at UMass The feasibility committee worked with the architects on the next phase how to meet the needs of the community identified in the building program in the most cost-efficient manner They identified efficiencies in space design and eliminated square footage That was not practical within the available land upon which we could build or under the financial constraints of Responsibly addressing each of Amherst capital programs Cuts included a third meeting room a special collections instruction room and offices for future staff positions This evolutionary process paired the square footage down in multiple stages to the 65,000 gross square footage in the mblc application requests before you tonight The final phase involved working with the architects to determine how the 65,000 square foot building program could be created within the library's constrained site parameters and Engaging an independent cost estimator to generate a cost estimate as the foundation for the grant application Multiple designs were explored and the factors that influenced the architectural study and cost estimate Were a desire to restore and maintain the historic character of the 1928 portion of the building Create a high-energy performance building with as much green technology as possible Allow for flexibility in the future as patron needs and technology change and that would have the least impact on the gardens around the building This comprehensive analysis resulted in the preliminary designs that visually portray how each service contained in the building program Best fits into the 65,000 proposed square feet The trustees want to offer a huge thank you to all of the members of the community who participated in this process Your feedback has been essential in making sure the building program truly serves our entire community The article before you tonight asks you to consider if the library may apply for an mblc grant based on the preliminary designs That are the culmination of the work that I've just described Approval of this article means approval only of the following the site location the gross square footage going from roughly 47,000 to 65,000 and the building program or the services to be offered and the amount of space in the building dedicated to each space Funds have not yet been approved appropriated or expended for the actual design work If this article is approved and the grant awarded the library would seek community involvement to help set the priorities for the design work of Both the interior and exterior of the building Active community participation in an enthusiasm for the building design is crucial to the success of the next stage of the process Before the library would return to town meeting to seek funding for any proposed project to renovate and expand the library We urge you to vote yes to accept the grant and move this important project to the next step. Thank you Thank you called Ms. Ratner for the finance committee Thank You mr. Moderator The finance committee met earlier tonight because we did not have the report about the the The new report that just came out from the library for deferred maintenance and we thought we should discuss those items So we did meet earlier and we voted five to zero two absent to Recommend this article we recommended it earlier, but we did want to take into account this new information Passage of this article will allow the Jones library to submit an application to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners MVLC for a Massachusetts Public Library construction grant to help fund a renovation and expansion project for the application only a very preliminary design will be included as required by the MVLC if The project is accepted for funding more detailed design work will follow with input from the public If this article is not passed the process of applying for this grant will be would be terminated However, there are still many improvements that would have to be done to preserve the building such as repairing or replacing the leaking atrium Making the elevator and stacks accessible and updating the HVAC and security systems These projects would be done without the help of a state grant The Jones library recently hired Western builders to just determine the cost of deferred maintenance projects The resulting report was received last week copies of this report were sent to town meeting members The finance committee as I said met earlier this evening to discuss the report The items in the report address many of the problems in the building But do not include costs for making the building completely ADA compliant or costs for design work or Asbestos and other hazardous materials abatement or adding spaces for teens among other needed program items The finance committee did not change its recommendation After this discussion, but thought the report gave further support to its recommendation As you know, no money is included in this article if the application is submitted and accepted Any appropriation will come back to town meeting probably in the fall according to MVLC guidelines The finance committee believes it would be fiscally unwise for the town and library not to take advantage of this opportunity at this time. Thank you Thank you, and Ms. Krueger for the select board Good evening The select board voted unanimously in favor of article 23. I know you're shocked to hear that The Jones library is beloved But inadequate to meet current and future community needs The role of libraries has changed since I started going to the Jones many years ago as a UMass college student. I Could not have a man. Imagine then that in 2017 I could sit at home with a keyboard and a computer screen order up a new art book or cookbook and Then a bell would go off on a device in my pocket Texting me that my book was in and ready to be picked up after it arrived from a library Possibly on the other side of the state That's magic to me Who knows what the next 10 to 20 years of technological change will mean for libraries I know that we want what Amherst to be a welcoming and inclusive community This meeting shows that over and over again with the votes you take on articles For myself having volunteered with the Jones library in the ESL program Taken my granddaughter to the program sing with your baby and spent many hours browsing the library shelves I know that the library is our welcome center for people from all over the world and from all different backgrounds The physical improvements this grant allows us to plan for will enhance that welcoming spirit It's clear that there are passionately held views about this expansion project There are so many features of the current structure that people want to protect and preserve That makes sense However after listening to community members library trustees and the library director We've been assured that precautions will be taken to preserve the historic features It's our understanding that the plans developed so far are conceptual They show what the programs are that we need how we will fit them on the necessary square footage and how The project actually can fit on the site that we have and you heard about this in more detail from miss Lefebbe All of all that's required to be out all of this is required to be eligible for the state grant If we're successful in competing for these funds, then we start a public participation process That decides what the expanded Jones library will actually look like This grant is our opportunity to reimagine a library to serve our community well into the 21st century The select court asks you to approve article 23 Thank you. I can't now call on mr. Weiss from the disability advice Access advisory committee There you are good evening May may I have an additional minute just in case mr. Weiss has requested additional minute for a total of four without objection You may continue The DAC has made a Site visit we had a visit from the library director and trustees and we spent well over two hours discussing The ins and outs of this project and I just want to make sure I can Communicate it all to you of our conversation are over to our conversation in less than four minutes The DA members of the DAC decided not to take a position but would like you to hear our thoughts and I'm hoping to communicate that The membership feels that the Jones library as it currently is is not welcoming to people with disabilities There are several problems of accessibility and it is somewhat difficult to navigate through the library At the same time we believe many of the problems can be fixed right now and hope these issues The ones that can be addressed will be addressed with or without a new building I'm going to list them in the order of importance to the committee One accessible parking has always been and remains the primary Obstacle to access there are two handicapped parking spaces available in the parking area along the east side of the library There is currently room for at least one more space After that handicapped persons must use the closest downtown space available, which is usually across the street to accessibility of the stacks Isles must be at least 36 inches wide to allow wheelchair access Some of the stack aisles are less than that Even those at 36 inches are not adequate because often books stick out into the aisle a few weeks ago I spent some time measuring every aisle of every stack in the library My little tape And discovered a very strange construction detail That is of course of no fault to the current library staff They didn't build this the aisles vary in width from a low of 23 and a half inches Between the stacks next to the children's room counter to a high of 58 inches in one of the aisles downstairs and pretty much everything in between Except for the distances between stacks in the reference room. There was no conformity of aisle distance The variability that I found suggests that there might and probably is enough room to make all but the two stacks in the little children's room accessible by moving things around We also discussed the issue of self reach ability shelf reach ability. Sorry It's been noted in the plans that the new library would not have books on the lowest and highest shelves Which is an ADA requirement that they not have those Shelves thus making the stacks more accessible to people with disabilities If the library were was only to be renovated, however It's likely that they would be able to get a variance for that shelving problem In a plan to renovate and expand such a variance is unlikely We believe that it is not reasonable, however to expect all shelves to be totally accessible as long as there are helpful Staff around and we find the staff at our library very helpful We have weighed that accessibility against the cost of providing enough room to accommodate all the books that are now on those lower and upper shelves And that would have to be located elsewhere if you remove them Three the front elevator during a visit to the library last year members of the DAAC were successful in using the elevator those in wheelchairs However, the maneuver is awkward due to the width of the door and the potentially and and is potentially dangerous as the exit on the second floor is Very close to the top of the stairway We also notice the elevator is not long enough to accommodate a stretcher Thus while the Goodwin room and Amherst room then can be accessed by that elevator if you're in a wheelchair It is not an ideal or safe situation We found that there are no tables desks or counters at accessible heights The faucet hard number five You could finish up, please. Oh boy ask your time already. Oh my gosh We did not want to take a formal position because we don't feel sufficiently knowledgeable of all the architectural Discussions that have occurred that led to a decision to rebuild the new building and to expand the library and therefore Don't feel that this project should hinge on issues of accessibility at the same time We can see from the design that the new building will be completely up to ADA code And that access will be full and pleasurable with excellent flow throughout the library an aspect that is currently lacking Thank you Thank you Motion is in terms of the article. This will require a majority vote for passage Is there discussion before we come into a vote? You don't need to stand when you're holding your card you can just sit please Yes, right there on the aisle red card Hi, I'm Kent and tarp precinct one and I have a bottom line for this and The thing first of all, it's gonna take some time To go through all this. We don't even know for sure if we would get approved that could take more time My concern right now is building a school Do we need to so do we need to renovate the library now or do we need to build a school? We could take the money from the library and we could build a school You know now that in itself can be you know take a lot of effort, but with proper Working together maybe hiring a professional Mediator or something. I think that we could build a school With the money that we'd be spending on the library and we could do it now We could do it soon. We don't have to wait for the library to be approved We don't have to wait to for another application To get funding for the school and sometimes it comes down to we just have to do things ourselves Because the alternatives come with too many strings too much time or whatever So if we built up if we turn this down We also wouldn't be waiting around to find out if this got approved, which is not sure it either We could start the process of taking the money building a school Give three million, you know, maybe approve three million dollars for the library for the library soon So that we could get working on the things that really need to be done there The library trustees have said they could raise Six million dollars or how many or three million? So they raise their three million you put that towards the library and then the next fiscal year We put another three million dollars into the library and we've got just about everything we need to make that library Really wonderful a da accessibility moving stacks, you know and ESL and teen centers those things would just have to we'll have to figure that out But we're not destroying, you know a lot of good part of the library Preserving the other part of the library So my priority is a school we take this money and any other cap of projects that are coming down the line We've got to build a school before we start approving other capital projects And I think a school we could get the town to go for I think we could get people to spend the money to build our own school Not wait around for another three years, you know in the meantime will be at doing an application for the second school Which you know may take three or four years, but right now we need a school. That's that's the main thing we need and Time is running out on that Getting sidetracked and other projects is gonna make that hard. Thank you and right there in the center. Yes With all due respect to my friend and neighbor I identify so please engage precinct one with due respect I rise in cautious support for this project I think it's extremely important that we get in line for this funding and I am Confident although I'll be listening carefully tonight that there's still a chance for the community to have input I want to make three hopefully quick points First of all libraries in the 20th century have to be very different from what many of us remember Libraries to be those of us who worked hard in the Amherst Cinema figured that out when people can have home entertainment centers in their living room We had to make the Amherst Cinema a place where you wanted to go You wanted to be there with artists with all sorts of extra programs And that's what we have to make our library It has the library is one of the few precious community resources that a town has Where people can come together celebrate each other and celebrate ideas books literature and We need to help move gently nudge our library into that era I was at the Boston Public Library and WGBH has a TV station at the library I'm not saying we should do that But libraries have to become a place where people want to go We have to get them away from their Kindle away from their Amazon and To come downtown and this is a really important part of keeping our downtown vibrant It's not going to be a pool hall. It's not going to be a restaurant It's going to be a place where people come together to celebrate the intellect ideas and the many many different kinds of people in our community It may be my fault that I didn't know Amherst Library had become a teen center For a sort of place to attract teens. I didn't know it was an ESL center I don't know if that's my problem or they didn't let people know well enough There's maybe some messaging the library needs to do to help us all understand But that's what is important part of what our library is today point to I Understand that someone the question might be called before everybody has information and when that happens we can't discuss it town meeting is our legislature and we have a legal and ethical Responsibility to hear all the information and to give everybody a chance to get the information they need So if the question is called and we can't have a discussion Even if you think you don't need any more information Look around and if you think people don't have the information they need Don't Call the question Three we can do schools and a library. We have to do both. We're a community We're not a priority list We need we need schools, but we can't build a school this year. We don't know what to build We can do both Thank you Yeah, the white card all the way in the back there and Remember if people are able to stand I'd ask them to if you're not able to stand that's okay But if you're able to I'd appreciate it if you stood up so other people can see you read a book Precinct to I'm just a little confused the finance committee report tonight stated that they took a vote And it was five in favor two absent The finance committee booklet shows that there was one Vote no, and I'm just wondering if there's any information regarding the reason why The like a minority report or what have you Why there was one that voted against anyone the finance committee want to respond this common Yes, the the person was absent from tonight's meeting the person has looked at all the capital projects and would like a kind of Decision as to how we're going to put these in place And and has some other priorities Thank you. I Hear a point of order Wait for the microphone, please Identify yourself Steve bloom precinct 10. I'm just elaborating on Rita's Comment there was it was my understanding that That the minor there was a minority report For the finance committee, which was to be read Is that no longer the case because there's a new reason I have not been notified of That so unless it really raises their hand and offers to read it It's not on the agenda miss Tileman Sent his report, but it's not been given to the moderator. I'm sorry There's there's no there's before you give your book There's no requirement that a minor report be read by a finance committee They can read it if they want to so if that was your is there another point of order besides that wait wait wait for the microphone, please and Stand up if you are able Amen, and I'm increasing five. I was wondering if as the body could request That it be read Sure when someone is recognized they can request, but there's no requirement to fulfill that Okay, we're continuing discussion now and Yes, right in the front corner here I'm sorry, please identify yourself and speak into the microphone. My name is Alan root Precinct five I Want to use Okay, nothing wrong you just ask and they'll take care of you. There you go. Okay, you can Know I don't think so Okay, mr. Root you may continue the reason I am here is because I am a devotee of libraries Unlike many of you. I chose at least At least I thought it was choice and not to go to college. I've been Accepted, but I decided I would educate myself as Libraries and did so in fact not only across the states, but also In Europe as well I've been reading about the future of libraries and There is such a debate that is going on and you can see it across the internet if you pursue that line of questioning and It is very obvious to me as I looked very carefully At the plans that were put forth by the architectural firm That We were going in the wrong direction The cost of the project would obliterate or make it very difficult to deal. I think with some Capital expenditures that we have to look forward to not only the matter of a school but also a new public works Building and we're told by the superintendent of the public works operation that Building down there is it stands is almost Abominable in terms of the threats To the health of the people who have to use that building Not only that we need a new fire station and We have somewhat forgotten that we have two other libraries here in town one of which No bathroom my feeling is very very strong That there are alternatives that perhaps might make the library system in keeping with many across the country Whereby they are much more mobile They go out to serve their public That means a lot of old people in nursing homes and in other places Nobody has even touched upon in any of the literature that I have seen That gets to the idea of parking if you have a larger Library you hope more customers are going to come to it and they're going to come in cars That means that we're going to Accentuate the problem that we already have in terms of needed parking Finally, I just like to say to you that There are a lot of things that I could go on for some time and you see before you on the screen a look at the way the front looks now and in terms of the Back view of is how it will be it looks like an industrial building Finish up, please your time. I would hope that you would Turn this down and we do go back to rethink some of the Some of the ideas are pretty good As to using the present structure without spending that amount of money. Thank you Thank you Yes, miss talman. I have mr. Braun statement Okay, I've been recognized I voted against this article because I believe the scale and timing of the proposed project are I think the town's priorities for spending on large new capital projects should be guided by the same logic We use when we face the unpleasant task of cutting budgets in these cases We always seek to preserve core functions meaning public safety police and fire DPW first responders Infrastructure then schools and then everything else using this logic We should when we have the happy ability to pay for projects first ensure our public safety and first responders Are taken care of meaning at the moment building a new fire station and DPW facility Then we need to solve our elementary schools problem We should devote more money or use a bond to fix our roads and sidewalks as we move forward with these projects Only then I think should we consider an expansion as large as that being proposed for the Jones library I favor shelving the current proposal and instead develop a capital plan to fund the most immediate Infrastructure needs of the building such as replacing the atrium roof Assuming that would fix the leaks upgrading the HVAC system and replacing the two small front elevator Many improvements could I believe be made with some creative thinking about ways to better use the spaces that already exists? seldom used materials could be stored in a climate control facility off-site instead of being Piled up in offices and rooms that are not designated for storage for example Art should be displayed on the existing walls in the space now used as a gallery could be used for any of the various needs articulated in the library needs statement Once again, I feel that the availability of state matching funds have led well-meaning people and consultants Who to propose and embrace a project that is far larger and more expensive than is actually needed to solve the real Problems that exist Thank you Mr. Bachmann Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Moderator when I first got here one of the first tasks the select board gave to me was The question posed the question is can we afford these four projects the DPW the fire? the school and the library and and We researched that we are with Claire McGinnis who is our treasure collector and Sonia Aldridge who is our comptroller we looked at the previous work that had been done by our finance director Sandy Puller and the previous town manager John Musanti and I came to the conclusion as did the co-in-term finance directors that we We were in a fortunate position that we could afford these projects. Here's why We're at a point now where our debt service is falling off in Fy 18 where we will have about 1.8 million dollars in debt service and every two years that we cut roughly in half until an Fy 24 will be down to a hundred and fourteen thousand dollars A year in our budget. That's what that's what those are commitments that we have made as a community To borrow money and that's the debt schedule the second thing We've been the the town has been doing well before my time but you as town meeting and the Financial leaders of the town is our reserves have been growing We've been putting money away and carving out additional reserves to a target of 15 percent And we've hit that this year The third thing was that we have been elbowing out room in our operating budget to allow for more capital expenditure Because we have heard what people will set people said about we need to expend more money on our capital And the fourth thing we've done is that the town has been putting money away in the stabilization fund Why is that important because you use your stabilization fund when there's a peak in the debt service You can shave off that peak by using some of your money that you've had tucked away in your savings account So There are are there uncertainties? Absolutely, we don't know what Interest rates are going to do we don't know If there will be a change in the economy if the growth will will maintain We there are certain things that we do control In terms of costs and things like in decisions that the town makes throughout the course of the coming years And then we also can control the timing of the projects tonight. You are not yet being asked to fund anything We have that control as a town in terms of when we sequence these projects and Part of the calculation is is there money coming from someplace else that can help support what is happening? That's something any reasonable manager would take into account and we do and so the fact that there is State funding available is important The other thing that we've done and people before me obviously is we've accounted for all of our capital needs In terms of the budget we've said we're not going to Knock away things that we're already supposed to do in order to fund major capital things We want to make sure we keep doing what we're supposed to be doing with an inflation rate to cover the Inflationment so we can we can have replacement debt for things like fire trucks and roofs that come up pretty regularly so in terms of The question has come up many times is Can we afford it the answer is yes with disciplined decisions and It's not an either or situation You can say yes to these projects and I think and when your funding time comes You will say how are we gonna pay for it? We want to see that and I think that's one of the reasons that the you know We made a very thorough presentation in September to the four boards Meeting and that's a that's been available online for for since September So you're all welcome to look at that if you have any questions. We're either today or afterwards I'm happy to help you with those. Thank you Um Way back in that corner green card Yes, thank you. Catherine oppie precinct nine also a former school committee member and member of the joint capital planning committee and I just wanted to Read it reiterate some of what mr. Backelman has said in that my in my seven years of being on school committee and on JCP see That there has been a very solid Capital plan strategic capital plan so that we could support The four major projects that we've been talking about both in town meeting and in town committees for many years and One of the things that is so important about this vote tonight Is that it allows us to move forward so that we are in a position to accept some state money Not only have we as a town and as individual citizens paid into this state money But it is the way that we do not have to pit one capital project against another We can as mr. Backelman has pointed out Because a very careful planning over many many years afford all the projects that we would like to do for our town so Yes, I was you know, no surprise Disappointed about the school vote and I heard the argument tonight And I just want to make clear that this is not an either or Choice we can build the library and we can also focus on the schools and Move forward with those as we did with a vote last week for the feasibility study So I really urge town meeting to think carefully and Keep us in the process of being able to accept state money So that we can do all the projects and not prioritize one over the other. Thank you Some people at the back of the aisle here. I'd like to call on the first person in that line and Are you a registered voter in Amherst? Yes, then you may speak. My name is Sally Neely I live in precinct six. I'm here in support of article 23 which asks you to accept a preliminary design for the expansion of the Jones library. I'm here to speak to those of you who are still undecided on your vote Both the town and the services offered by the Jones have expanded since the original library building was finished in 1928 Today's services include regular programs for children this week alone The Jones is offering seven such programs at the main library and one at the North Amherst branch Public libraries in four abutting towns do not offer this number of children's programs on a regular basis Which means parents and children from these towns regularly regularly visit the Jones While more children means more fun. It also means more children for our librarians to keep track of Members of save our library which opposes article 23 point out the cozy atmosphere of the current children's section of the Jones As a plus which affords fun for small children who like to explore nooks and crannies The children's librarians however see the rabbit-worn design of the children's section as a safety risk They know the children who are lost even for a moment become frightened as do their parents a Larger open space with excellent sight lines Sorry as proposed in the current at architectural plans Will reduce the possibility of lost and frightened children and As those of you who are readers all know the coziness of a space is easily created by a great book and an enthusiastic reader The children will lose nothing in a larger and safer area dedicated to them We've heard tonight about several other programs, which will benefit from a larger more up-to-date library building I'm stressing the importance of the children's experience at the Jones because what we're deciding here is their future I want our children and the children from all towns who make their way to the Jones to learn that a library is a Place of fun an exciting place full of all kinds of books that open all kinds of worlds to them a Place they'll want to come to as they grow up a place. They will continue to support all their lives So for any of you who are undecided I hope you will vote for the future of the Jones The future of our children and the future of the town that Amherst has become Vote yes for article 23 Thank you, and I'm gonna call on us the second person in the aisle now. Thank you I'm Ginny Hamilton. I live in precinct eight, and I'm also a proud Crocker farm parent We moved to Amherst just about five years ago based on the reputations of schools in this town and not just the academics but the fact that our schools teach civic engagement and Take diversity and inclusion seriously But I personally did not get involved in town politics until getting involved in the vote Yes for schools campaign back this winter Tonight, however, I'm here to talk in support of the library because our library is an important public education institution in this town Knowing the reputation of Amherst after moving here. I was a little shocked at the Situation the the shape of the facilities our libraries are in and other people are far better tonight to talk about deferred maintenance and full Accessibility and increasing the collection. I'm here to talk about the need for a teen center We are big library users in our family My son was there all the time for preschool story time is now part of the summer reading program He's a voracious reader. We visit the library about three times a week right now to keep up with his reading habit And he's a very proud card-carrying member of the library himself now So Saturday morning when I took him down to the basement and walked over to the corner in the basement That's dedicated for teenagers. He was incredulous. He said Why would anyone want to hang out here? Education is the business of this town We need a safe and welcoming and non-commercial space for teens in this town And when we look at what's important in this town, the library is a critical institution for public education So we can look at this from a perspective of scarcity and fear or we can look at this as taking a Responsible investment and our commitment to the common good in this town as Mr. Buckleman has said we have the resources. Let's live up to the reputation Finally, I brought a visual aid anybody with children born since the 90s might be familiar with lemony snicket For those of you not it's a story of three orphans who are faithing good and evil mysteries throughout their trials and Libraries figure very importantly in this whole series and in them solving their mysteries The motto of the libraries in these books are The world is quiet here We live in a really noisy world Especially for teenagers So I'm here tonight to ask you to vote yes to seek the state support so that we can upgrade our our quiet space Thank you. Thank you Yes, right on the aisle there about five rows back I have a couple slides identify yourself, please Sigurd Nielsen precinct eight. Thank you mr. Moderator Could I get the slides up and I don't see a clicker? So you just move it I'm Sigurd Nielsen precinct eight I'm going to focus on the real costs and why I urge you to vote no on article 23 Calling something by its right name is important when facing the stark realities of what something really costs To call this project only only an expansion avoids the D word And fails to acknowledge that there are real costs associated with demolition Article 23 is based on demolishing the brick edition that is only 24 years old Has a metal roof and is already ADA compliant to say this 1993 edition was built to last only 20 years is fiscally ludicrous Toolsheds last longer than that It's true that the atrium had an extremely short lifetime and needs to be put out of its misery But to do that we don't need to tear down the 1993 brick edition It's been said that including interest on the total cost of this project is a scare tactic Far from it. It's a real cost Factoring in interest determines affordability just like interest is included in monthly payments So that the home buyer a home buyer can determine if they can afford a particular house In this case interest is part of what determines the affordability of annual debt payments for Amherst taxpayers It is disingenuous to ignore this fact The bottom line Amherst taxpayers would be saddled with at least 29.5 million dollars in payments. That's nearly twice what we're being told this will cost These are real dollars that will determine how much our property taxes will need to increase to fund this project and Would determine how affordable it is to live in Amherst If the project fails to raise the targeted six million dollars from donations and other sources the cost would be even higher And we heard last week when we talked about the operating budget of the library that don't donations to the library declining by 10% a year over the last several years Further there has been no real data to justify the need for an expansion Only that the library wants to offer more programming under one roof Cost parking issues and a forecasted population decline for Amherst makes an expansion fiscally unsound I believe there's an alternative approach that Amherst can better afford That means going back to the drawing board for an architect designed renovation within the existing building footprint It makes fiscal sense to disperse some of the library's programming rather than trying to fit everything under one roof and Tearing down an addition that we as taxpayers just paid off in 2010. I Urged you to vote no on article 23 tonight, so we don't waste any time before developing a new plan Based on a broad community input including outreach to underserved populations That recognizes the role of our branch libraries in meeting the needs of all Amherst residents Thank you. I also encourage you all Time sucks. Sorry to look at the yellow sheet. Appreciate it. So I've been I've been being pretty let me talk first Then it's a point of order I've been pretty lax on time and letting people go over a little just like I let the last speaker go over a little But I'm gonna get more strict So I'm gonna Interrupt right when the red light goes on and give you a chance to finish your sentence But if it's a run-on sentence, I'll interrupt you again So I'm just giving a heads up to everybody and I don't care which card color card you're holding up. It's gonna be the same for all Yes third row there the red best James Scott precinct seven. I first came to this town 49 years ago in 1968 and One of the first things I did was to frequent Jones Library, which I have done Frequently since with great pleasure and great satisfaction And I urge you to vote. Yes on this particular article most particularly I Took advantage of Kent Ferber's tours of the library that he's been offering over the last month or so And I've seen a number of the shortcomings Structural shortcomings in the existing building that would be remedied by this particular renovation furthermore, I urge you to Concentrate on the fact that we are not voting on architectural design And with this particular motion, we're voting on the application for a grant From the state to help fund it Concentrate on the application for a grant Not on the peripheral arguments that are being presented. I urge you to vote. Yes on this article. Thank you. Thank you and White card in the second row there My name is Janet McGowan and precinct eight. I have two questions. One of them is a clarification I've heard people saying before that the town can afford it and All the four buildings, but I understood that to mean two overrides that put a lot of the costs onto taxpayers And I'm wondering if there's a different formulation Can the town afford it within its regular budget or does it require? You know with the library require an override in the school and override to because you know We can afford a lot of things if we came on passing overrides I'm just wondering if there's like better economic news and the other question which I Am happy to have heard raised is the question of priorities and where people put this Building on the three other buildings I just wanted to know if anyone on the select board or the finance committee just individually has a sense of that or You know what you know, I just don't know I've been I've been asking this question on the listserv a year ago And I just keep on wondering, you know Is there a priority less than people's minds and based on your knowledge and working in the town for a while I Can answer the first half So the plan that we presented included two debt exclusion overrides which would the voters would have to approve out of general election So if the people decided by majority vote at an election to tax themselves additionally and that's what the voters decide to do with the school and at this point we have the Library slotted as requiring a debt exclusion override as well So whatever action according to our finance plan, whatever if the town meeting were to approve this We would still seek a vote of the general electorate And this Kruger Just try to quickly answer your question about priorities because a couple of people have brought that up This McGowan answering your other part of your question From the select board perspective and from the joint capital planning perspective, I think I'm Being fair to say that we have decided all four of the capital projects that you've heard about are necessary Are needed and that we can find a way with with a rational plan and Staging of the timing to do all of them and that we were not going to pick one Over the other not to say that you might not for yourself But we have taken a position that they're all Important and needed and we would not pick one over another Thank you Yeah, right there second row. It's a red card Mr. Rotary I would request 30 seconds more please speakers requested an additional 30 seconds all those in favor, please say aye Opposed please say no You may have an additional 30 seconds. Thank you. I would like to just start by saying identify yourself Thank you Carol Gray precinct seven and could I have that 30 seconds reflected on the clock, please? There don't worry. They'll take care of you. Thank you. Thank you First I would just like to say people keep talking about four capital projects, but I count five. We just had Past hundreds of thousands to have a study done about Fort River. That's Fort River one fought Wildwood to Fire station three DPW for library. That's five So if we assume that we want to keep our neighborhood schools as many of us do that's two schools not one Also in terms of let me just run through the slides Here's a picture of the library next please And I actually like the atrium and I think that if we put some money into it We could still keep it but next slide, please But the point is that as it was pointed out before the this expansion this renovation We just finished paying it off in 2011 and it's still got many years decades of life left in it next next slide Please the Woodbury room. We had a very generous donation hundreds of thousands from the Woodbury's this Next slide, please room was completed in 2012 as you can see from the top it cost a hundred and seventy five thousand dollars This is scheduled to be demolished. So basically we've had it Like a few years and we're gonna demolish it This is not sustainable and it's not also a message We want to send to donors to libraries that we're gonna use their funds And then demolish the room a few years later after we pay a hundred seventy five thousand dollars for it next slide, please There's a lot of space here that could be used better next slide, please These are all rooms in the library. They can be used for many purposes next slide, please Next slide, please next slide, please next slide, please Next slide, please So I'm now taking you to the third floor, which I think is Greatly underutilized. This is the room that is used for trustee meetings once a month But couldn't this be used for other purposes? Maybe this could even be a teen room But there's also that that entire floor has none of the rooms are used on a regular basis next slide, please That's the same trustee room next slide, please Next slide, please this room is an office the door is locked if you went on a tour You probably didn't see any of these rooms. I have pictures because I was a trustee before so I looked at all these rooms next slide Please another room on the third floor not used at all next slide, please Next slide, please All of these rooms are not used except for storage Couldn't we get a space consultant in there to see how we could use this space better? And when I was a trustee we proposed spending 20 000 dollars to hire a space consultant to reconfigure Unfortunately, we didn't have the votes on the board to do that instead We used the woodbury money to build that room But the 20 000 for a space consultant could find enormous space that's totally underutilized And wouldn't we want to try that first next slide, please When I was a library trustee I was on the long-range planning committee. We did an extensive survey of the public We had numerous public listening sessions. No one said I think we need a new jones library I think we need to demolish half of it and build a huge expansion. Nobody said that What we did find out next slide, please Was that there was a lot of support in the survey for an expansion of the north amherst library And and we could apply for a grant for that as a matter of fact because it was something we were thinking about as a board We did a survey about it I find no survey asking the public whether we should demolish half the library and build a huge expansion Finish up, please one more sentence a short one next slide, please I would finally just say I think that we have a lovely library And I think that we should keep it and we don't need this expansion. Please vote now Yes, right here in the front corner Chris Hoffman precinct seven and library trustee Since the topic the woodbury room came up when we just briefly say I was on the board when we did the woodbury room And we were very careful and very explicit that we were looking for things that could be moved We spent the money on technology on furniture Nobody wanted the woodbury room to be that little room in the basement That that was the best we could do in hopes that we would eventually have a renovation And I don't think we even picturing anything like a major renovation. We were looking at like the fiction room So don't look at the hundred seventy five thousand dollars and say we're demolishing the woodbury room No, the money was put there with the hope that could be used in a nicer place eventually But I actually wanted to come up to say just to to Say comment on something that mr. Buckleman said that may not have registered with everyone Previously and as far as I know nobody said otherwise The library is only going to get funded if the town if the voters of the town Agree to a debt exclusion override That means if even if everybody passed tonight unanimously support for this The people of the town are going to have the ultimate decision on whether what they see is what they want Okay So please i'm asking you Let this go to the point where town meeting and the town has an actual plan Not just say list of services and a list of square feet Let it go to the point where there's a plan where people can look at the thing they can say I like that I don't like that the people who are against it can say I was right. It's horrible Let it go past this step Let it go to the point where there is an actual plan with real drawings Not an architectural cut and paste clip art thing and vote that. Thank you Thank you Just that I mentioned we've been discussing this for a little over an hour Yeah, right there the white card I thought it was the gentleman there was holding the card. Yes Rudy Perkins precinct two Um, I have a question and some comments about the energy systems in the building The obvious background to this question is that increasingly we need to be climate conscious voters Not just at the state and federal level but locally here too And maybe particularly now the local level is the more important level Because we have more control here In washington it's turning its back on on the climate crisis For the climate we need to be building a future based on electricity and renewables And not fossil fuels like oil and gas and our buildings need to reflect that commitment Some estimate that our buildings Are responsible for nearly 40 of our energy use and because buildings are such durable items Any building we build now is locking us into 50 to 100 years of climate impact either positive Or negative particularly this time of the climate where the climate crisis has had a tipping point We need to be very careful about the buildings we build I hope i'm not seeing a worrying pattern in our new capital projects The wildwood project recently debated was going to be heated by heating oil And if I read the library application correctly the current plan is for this expansion to be heated by gas So I guess one of my questions is to clarify what the net zero aspect of this will be A lot of leading buildings now are being built with new Efficient electric systems heating and cooling systems either air-to-air heat pumps Or geothermal with solar panels committed in the construction program, which again, I understand that's not Committed in this program. It's just a possibility So I guess I'd like clarification On the net zero energy aspects are there really going to be solar panels that will Compensate for the gas used in the building if it is indeed going to be heated by gas as the application Indicates I think at this point Amherst needs to be a climate leader and Because we're planning four or five Big capital projects over the next five to ten years. That's likely to be one of the biggest investments we make That affects our climate future So we need to be looking at our capital projects as building Part of the new line of local fortresses against climate disaster Instead of piecemeal one by one in our designs capitulating to climate catastrophe So whichever way this vote goes I hope we really seriously look at this and all the future the school the dpw the fire station They really should be electric And they should have solar built into the plans and that should be insisted upon by all of us And I'm going to take another person in the aisle there. Are you a town meeting member? No, okay Okay, thank you that microphone and identify yourself and come forward if you want Sarah mckay precinct six mr. Moderator may I have two minutes in addition, please The speaker is requested two additional minutes for a total of five all those in favor Please say aye Opposed please say no I'm sorry, but you're going to be restricted to three minutes Okay, we're going to do a voice vote once more And I'll really listen carefully all those in favor of an additional two minutes for a total of five. Please say aye Opposed please say no I still don't think so. I guess we're having electronic vote. I'm ready to get an additional two minutes Okay Actually, yeah, okay I hear a point of order wait for the microphone Mr. Moderator, I praise your running of the meeting but you have the authority to grant the two minutes. Do you not no It's town meeting town meeting gets to give that authority and in my opinion They haven't so we have to vote to find out what the actual vote is Okay, the window is open you may vote No, it says two thirds, but we're going to look at the numbers and it's going to be a majority They're in a hurry Is there anybody who does not see their vote on their device? Yes, there's a 92 no 78. You have an additional two minutes. So Thank you. You may proceed with five minutes I am a past president of the jones library board of trustees I have personally kept the teens have it down to a low roar Down in the basement so that other patrons can use the library I assure you they love that cubby place I've counted 30 of them plus 30 backpacks in that space I'm glad that the current trustees have obtained estimates for needed repairs and upgrades to the jones library As a lawyer and a homeowner however I am troubled By the trustees disregard So far For the law governing historic preservation This applies to buildings Including the 1928 jones library that are listed on the state register of historic places You all got this letter last week. It's a letter from the massachusetts historical commission To the town Laying out what needs to be done to comply with the historical preservation law Concerning our 1928 jones library The trustees are counting on 13.7 million dollars from the state in this grant You hear about tonight. They're also counting on 650 thousand dollars from the massachusetts cultural Facilities fund and 2.5 million dollars in Historic preservation tax credit equity, which I do not pretend to understand To be eligible for state funding to demolish parts of a state register property You must comply with the historic preservation law And make no mistake about it the demolition diagrams included with this 530 page grant application They are pages 15 through 20 from the end of the Of the application They show demolition of parts of the 1928 building in the ground floor the first floor the second floor the third floor And it gets too confusing on the fourth floor Now in their planning and design grant about what you've heard The trustees were supposed to have provided quite detailed information about what they intend to demolish And that letter from last december set it forth Yet the trustees have not provided this data The demolition Sorry demolition plans are from their grant application. So they still must provide this data And then they must consult with the massachusetts historical commission on ways to Eliminate minimize and mitigate on feasible and prudent ways To eliminate minimize and mitigate all of the adverse effects that demolition would have on the building This inevitably means changing the design If the trustees had provided this information last december and january They would have before you now they would have brought brought to you A design a project design that the massachusetts historical commission Had approved and i will add that the massachusetts historical commission's mandatory consultation process Includes maximum public participation and this is immersed But by now these mandatory consultations would be complete You would have a design to vote on tonight that you knew was going to meet the historical preservation law requirements for the The grant that you're to vote on tonight The application for the massachusetts cultural council facilities fund and for that department of revenue thing that I said the words once This project's eligibility for state funding would then be clear to you tonight But nobody can tell you tonight how that design is going to change Because of the historical preservation legal requirements Instead article 23 asks town meeting to approve a project design That the massachusetts historical commission has not approved This project's eligibility eligibility for state funding is not assured So i urge you vote no on article 23 and send this project back to the drawing board For a town-wide approach To town-wide library services This is not the priority capital project. Thank you And Another speaker from the aisle there Hi, my name is synthia brubaker and I live at 47 high point drive precinct 2 I am here to speak in favor of article 23 from the perspective of our outstanding award-winning esl program I've been involved with this program for over five years and currently am a co-facilitator of a conversation group That meets there once a week This esl program helps innumerable people in our community who have english as a second language and need to improve their writing Reading and comprehensive skills and this is offered to them free of charge Currently we have over 150 tutors who work with people from our community on a one-to-one basis And there are five conversation groups There's hardly anywhere in the jones library for tutors to meet With those that they tutor or their two t's If you walk around the library and have had a recent tour You'll find people in nooks and crannies working on english with a tutor And many have to find places outside the library to meet The proposed increased space for esl is critical It has been incorrectly stated that we would hardly be expanding the esl space from what it is now But in fact it will be doubled It has also been said there are only two classrooms for four people and that's not enough space Interestingly often people bring family members so they can improve their english skills as well as well And they need a space for three or four people And actually this space for esl can be subdivided as we see fit when we do the final plans Please remember that what will be we will be held to if we are awarded a grant is the footprint of this building So we can make adjustments like that The main thing that we need this dedicated space for is a program that is widely used needed and valued In our community we have many people who need esl help And i'm very proud of the jones library for delivering this service My hats off to lin windrob who is the director of this program and also the jones library I think we need this Space and i would like to urge you to vote for article 23. Thank you Yes right there in the front row alex lafave precinct 10 and jones library trustee so Two speakers ago the previous previous speaker brings up an excellent point as she always does As a new trustee i find myself often Becoming educated on the process around the library because i'm a former business person not a librarian and i always welcome her input So i read her letter and i wanted clarity for myself about the massachusetts historical commission and the process So i called the mblc and i spoke with the library building specialist loren stara to make sure i understood And what she explained to me is that the process requires that you certify notification of your project to the massachusetts historical commission which the library has done But what gets confusing is that you're not supposed to accept the grant until the massachusetts historical commission has signed off On on your project. My question to her was we haven't designed the project yet beyond the building services It's sort of the chicken and egg. How do we do that? And what she told me was it's really it's it's about intent and goodwill and all of us working together They are in the business of building libraries not being impediments to it And so what she explained is that once we are awarded the grant so we haven't actually received funds yet But we've received the award That's when we begin the design process that's going to be how green is the building how net zero is the building It's going to look at what portions are slated for historic preservation And it's going to look at the building design interior and exterior So that's the point at which we would work with the mass historical commission to make sure that we understand Exactly what their expectations are In conjunction with when we are working with the community to create the designs so that when we get the funding We then have that direction for the architects and she gave me a great example In woeburn as a town that just went through this process And she said they were well along the road of their construction documents Ready to put the shovel in the ground when the mass historical commission said wait a minute We have some issues and so the mblc woeburn and the mass historical commission all work together for something that worked for everybody So it didn't stop the project. It didn't delay the project So I hope that provides a little clarity for people. Thanks. Thank you Yeah, right there third row from the back from the front Uh james parrott precinct one. I think this project is definitely putting the cart before the horse First we need to expand The other libraries in town in order to have some place to put the books and the people When the other library is being renovated Now I I don't know what they plan to do with the personnel who are in the joans library I presume they'll all be fired Well, I can't see them standing in the construction zone So Where are they going to go or are they just going to be paid and made to go home? If we expand north amateurs and the other libraries in town Then we have a place for our personnel to go We have a place for our books to go And we have a place for people who want to use a library to go This project has got everything backwards Yeah third in from the aisle there. Hi lisa berry precinct two i'm a new town meeting member and i'm Just interested in this process. It seems to me that this is a Application for a grant. I think that people are raising such great points about the environmental and the sight lines and the safety and Closing I think that I will be one of the people that's talking to alex And hopefully if this passes and holding her to all the the promises she's made about Community involvement, but it seems to me that we A lot of research has been done just to to get to this point And and as a mother of young children who looks forward to Taking advantage of development and technology and new libraries I think that we deserve to let them have the chance to see the next step Thank you um Yeah, the white card fourth row from the front there Jackie Churchill precinct three. I'd call the question Motion for the previous question has been made and seconded if to thirds of you vote Yes, we will then come to an immediate vote on article 23 All those in favor of the motion for the previous question. Please say aye Opposed please say no No, I don't hear two thirds We continue We've been at this almost an hour just to remind people And Yes front row there seconded Jeff Lee precinct seven I'm concerned about the debt exclusion overrides The town may be able to afford the four capital projects, but I'm not sure the taxpayers can And um The way I understand it first the library debt exclusion override will be voted And then a year or two later the school project debt exclusion override will be voted and I Seems to me that we can't help but pit the library against the schools in that case because the taxpayers are going to remember the Previous override and are going to be reluctant to vote the second one So for that reason, I can't really support this article Mr. Slaughter So a couple things I'd suggest regarding that point. I think in in some respects You know the the opportunity to open the question up of whether to raise your taxes um Is one that is I think uh wise to let the entire town weigh in on I think the incumbent thing for us as Town meeting and as as the various boards and committees that weigh in on these capital projects I think the incumbent thing on us to do as we move ahead Is to talk about all of those projects and the importance of all of those projects and the cost of all those projects as we move Ahead and so that it's not as if the first question of a debt override is in A vacuum relative to the next question of potential debt override It could be a circumstance from a timing that a different project of one of the large capital projects becomes a question for Debt override, I think we're so early in the process at this point We wouldn't know for sure But I think it's imperative with this number of large capital things on the agenda For the town to to deal with that we would want a feedback from the community at large about it And also to keep them aware of it so they can make a decision Regardless of when we asked them informed about all the things we're looking for Thank you um Green card right in the middle of that left section there Joan temkin precinct eight I support article 23 I was a member of the feasibility committee at the beginning of the process We spent many meetings defining the program that was submitted for the library grant Article 23 will allow the jones library to move forward in the process of obtaining the funds to renovate and expand Town meetings supported the beginning of this process and it makes sense to support its continuation We have seen architectural designs for the jones expansion But as previous speakers have emphasized all we are committed to by submitting our plans is the square footage they specify Many people are concerned about preserving the beautiful woodwork and the homey feel of the jones I am also concerned about those things But I think about preservation more broadly We all love the jones because it meets our needs for enjoying the written word in all its forms books newspapers magazines CDs dvds And as a previous speaker said who knows what technology will bring us It's a place to bring our children to do research to meet our neighbors to go to meetings To find shelter and friendly faces It is the center of amor's physically and in our hearts Just as samuel minute jones intended it to be Old buildings need both maintenance and renewal to preserve them There was plenty of controversy about the most recent addition, but we all came to enjoy being in it We did not lose what we loved about the jones. We just had more space to enjoy it Our town is bigger and more diverse than it was We need to expand our library the heart of our town to meet its needs If we want our children to grow up and treasure libraries as we do They need to spend their childhoods and their adolescences In a library that welcomes them with spaces designed for them One definition of preserve or preservation is to keep alive or in existence to make lasting That's what we want for the jones Preservation is not only about physical places. It is about values and feelings Our dedicated library staff makes the jones feel like home in spite of the leaks the taped wires of the floors The inadequate hfax system and the lack of adequate workspaces We owe them our thanks and help I can imagine an expanded and renovated jones that grows organically from the old From the old welcoming patrons of all ages and abilities to delight in its treasures I want to preserve the heart of our community And I believe that with the help of our citizens We can create a library that preserves the vision of samuel mary jones and makes it lasting I hope you can imagine it too. I urge you to vote yes for article 23 Thank you I see town meetings members standing at the back of that eye Could you please not stand there because that's kind of reserved for people who are not town meeting members who want to speak? Thank you Yes, right there in the center with the red card gary tartikov precinct nine I would like you all to recall the slides that were up there a little while ago showing you pictures of what the building Project is like and what the different rooms inside that waste all that space is like I was one of the people who Was privileged to take that tour of the library and we saw a lot of spaces You didn't see in those slides half of the unused spaces that are piled with boxes or people doing things Beds to rest on someone like that. There's a tremendous amount of unused space in that library There's the librarian's office on the first floor where you come in which could be moved up to those spaces They've got lots of room to expand a lot of things when I asked what it would have cost or if they had an estimate what it would have cost to Renovate the library that's there rather than build a whole new set of things I was told by the man from the library who was taking us around We didn't ask for those figures, right? They didn't try to see what they could do Renovating they keep using the word renovating but there was no idea of renovating First we want to build something large. I think that's fiscally irresponsible, right? We pay the state money too to build a building just because you can get some state money That's the way the town seems to operate on something. We've got a grant. We've got to do it You're you're going a little dangerously close to us talking about motives for people So try and shy away from that, please. All right motiveless in any case, uh, I think it's this fiscally responsible not to have Develop that other plan or giving us a choice about it When you look at all those slides think of what it looks like think of what the building looks like now Think of I know they're not going to build anything like what they showed us because they said trust us We'll do it all differently. It's just the footprint But we don't have that many buildings in town that are as handsome as that building is now That's one of the few really attractive buildings in our town and anything they do do it Is going to basically stick the Bank center on the corner of it, right? You're going to ruin it from three or four sides We're really going to be losing a visual gem Right, and we're going to be wasting a lot of money on building a large set of things And if the previous library couldn't build An addition that would last more than 20 years. Why do we think this one would? um Yes third in but a reminder that if you hold your card like this I can't see it very well, so yes right there Susan tracy precinct six I am speaking tonight in favor of article 23 The current proposed design for a new library makes many positive contributions to this vital public space What impresses me most are four aspects of the plan ADA compliance ESL access teen space and special collections First ADL compliance currently a person in a wheelchair cannot fit on the elevator by the library front door or access the stacks The new plan addresses those issues and makes the library accessible as it should be ESL access in space about two years ago when I was hunting for consumer reports in the basement I stumbled across the ESL office I was shocked to see such an effective and vital program jammed into a space The size of a large closet with room for only basic office furniture and barely two people Additionally the addition adjacent space and is inadequate for our many volunteers and their conversation partners Who are seeking to learn english? The new library plan addresses these deficiencies and provides adequate space for volunteers to do their work Third teens several people have addressed the need for more suitable space for children and teens As a teacher I have recognized that the digital revolution has changed the ways in which we teach and learn It is essential that all of our young people have access to computers and to study And discussion space and that they feel welcome in the library The new plan will prioritize these needs and integrate teenagers into the full life of the library Special collections as an historian I have used special collections and have sent my students to use it to our great advantage It is an essential resource Yet is an danger of compromising those very documents it seeks to protect Because they are not stored in a climate controlled space Not only are there climate problems within the main special collection areas But vital town records like boxes of deeds reach searchers used to reconstruct historical neighborhoods Remain stacked in boxes on the third floor of the jones library Exposing them to heat and light and inevitable to click k The library staff is faithfully saving these and other vital documents But they cannot preserve them for the long haul in the current space The new building with its planned extra space and dedicated temperature control Will both store and preserve our vital community records We are the stewards of the jones library now And we owe it to our current residents and to those who come after After us to invest in a functional aesthetically pleasing intellectual center Please vote yes on article 23 Thank you Um, I don't know what a multicolored card means There we go. Um, yes on the aisle there Jacqueline Maidana precinct five I just want to remind people that Even though the plan The schematic has the design has not been Formed they're asking for 65,000 square feet That will not change. That's the requirement. That's the one requirement that's not going to change. That's a lot I did do the library tour And I was really struck by how much underutilized space there was Really struck by it I love the the library the way it is And I think that what people are also missing Is the fact that there is no parking And this is not going to make parking better and this Will be the sixth Source of funding in terms of that will have to fund a parking garage So if you want a parking garage You'll vote for this I'm really vehemently opposed to this article Yes, right in the front row here and are you a resident in amherst? I'm lee edwards. I'm a resident of amherst I'm in precinct two and I'm also a jones library trustee. I'm not a member of town meeting I just wanted to say a few things about To try to address the question of The possibility that there's actually underutilized space in the library In my view and I've done now a number of library tours as well as gone to What feels like an infinite number of library meetings There isn't Underutilized space what there is is a certain amount of suboptimal space The public meeting rooms Are utilized All the time I mean every time you're in the library. There's somebody in one of the meeting rooms The possible exception is the goodwin room on the third floor which has restricted use because uh, it's Inaccessible there's no library staffing up there And it's used partly for storage of special collections And so it can only be used when there's a library staff or trustee member as part of the meeting Many of the spaces that feel underutilized when you take the tour Are utilized in ways that are inappropriate for Um a 21st century library But they have to be used the way they are because there's no place else in the existing library for these functions to happen So you have staff working in places that staff and in Circumstances that staff shouldn't be in You have the woodbury room Which could be available to town Under the new plan 24 hours a day because it'll have a separate entrance which is restricted now Because it's very hard to get into when the library is closed The small rooms that there was a picture and had emily dickinson's name on the door These are not 21st century spaces The new plan will redesign those spaces to make them more efficient to put staff where staff should be In facilities that will allow them to do the job that they need to do And that will make then available spaces in the Traditional part of the library the historic part of the library that don't now exist. There's no adult reading room In the current Jones library um there's The second floor Of the children's area Is virtually impossible for a parent who has two children of different ages To to use because if you have a small child you need to be down On the ground floor with the small child and you can't be upstairs With your older child who wants to use the upstairs room So it's not Underutilized it's suboptimal and needs to be redesigned and expanded Thank you, okay, it's almost nine o'clock. I just want to remind people that um If you think If you've been holding up a green card all night and someone calls the previous question and you're worried That maybe the yeses are losing That's not a reason to vote against the motion for the previous question The reason to vote against it is if you honestly feel there's more information that still needs to be shared If you feel that you've heard enough information to come to a vote That's a reason to vote for a previous question And i'm not saying i'm in favor against it. I just want people to understand what the reasoning should be Yes in the red shirt right there A paul kaplan precinct six. I was suggested that the library will have to completely close down For these renovations. I'd like to hear from the trustees if that is in fact the case Anybody want to comment on that you don't have to but you may Mr. Hoffman Wait for microphone or come up the front one or the other Yes, excuse me. I didn't realize that um I was the one who was uh supposed to address this so let me just read what we have in our plan here One condition of a condition construction grant from the mlc Is that the library must continue to offer a full array of services throughout construction The jones will therefore seek and secure interim space for the duration of construction They will able to increase hours at the branches But will also need another space large enough to house the collection and programs for just over two years Space will have to be handicapped accessible and ideally on a bus route. This stuff is not optional and is Part of the overall project budget To my knowledge there has been no investigation of these spaces as many people know We did try to have the library open during the last renovation expansion and it caused serious problems health problems and all that So therefore Yes, it will have to be closed. I'd also would like to point out that if you read the mailing that was sent to you about the Inspansion the renovate whatever you want to call it the non-complete renovation. You'll notice that The plan there would also call for the library to be closed because we do not a it'll be cheaper and b we don't want to Have the uh, you know possible problems with the construction while people are working and people are using the library Thank you um Yes third row right here white card Abby Jensen precinct four I call the question Motion of the previous question has been made and seconded if two-thirds of you vote Yes, we will then come to an immediate vote on the motion under article 23 All those in favor of the motion for the previous question. Please say aye Those please say no My writer here's two-thirds We will now come to up. I see a request for an electronic vote All we need is one person to request it. So this is motion for the previous question requires two-thirds And you may vote anytime Anybody who feels that their device is not working correctly A hold hold things. Please are you not seeing your vote displayed? Okay, good. You may continue then And we see 92. Yes 43. No, we have achieved two-thirds. We will now come to an immediate vote On the motion before you which is the motion in terms of the article the article is article 23 This requires a majority All those in favor of the motion under article 23. Please say aye Opposed please say no Moderators in doubt we'll have an electronic vote on this and you may vote anytime Anybody having a problem with their device? And we have yes 105 no 94 the motion under article 23 has passed. We are now going to take a Four minute stretch and then get right back to business again. So don't go too far Please please quietly return to your seats. You can hey hey hey you can chat at 10 o'clock. Please stop chatting now We are moving now to article 42 which had been moved to a date certain And I call on miss axelson axelson berry to make a motion I move in terms of the article 42 Motion has been made and seconded And I believe the petitioner will be speaking to the motion. Is that correct? I can't even see where you are. So I don't know who I'm talking to Yes, mr. Boniface Why don't you identify yourself and you will have five minutes to speak? Thank you town meeting moderator My name is john boniface. I'm a resident of amherst here and I'm attorney specializing in constitutional law and I'm the co-founder and president Of free speech for people Which is a national nonprofit non-partisan organization dedicated to renewing our democracy and defending our constitution this resolution Would call for an impeachment investigation Of president donald trump based on his direct and ongoing violations Of the constitution on inauguration day free speech for people joined With roots action an online activist network to launch a campaign a national campaign To call for this impeachment investigation Based on the serious violations of the two anti corruption provisions of the constitution the president Has been committing since he took the oath of office Those are the foreign a monuments clause and the domestic alliance clause Otherwise known as the foreign corruption clause it makes clear That no elected official not even the president may receive any Foreign payments of any kind from any foreign governments Any financial benefits of any kind from any foreign governments the domestic A monuments clause domestic corruption clause makes clear only applied to the president That the president may not receive any financial benefits from any state government Or the federal government other than his federal salary The president Of the united states refused to divest fully from his business interest prior taking the oath of office He was repeatedly warned By scholars of the constitution that he must do that In order to comply with these two anti corruption provisions And his refusal to divest fully from his business interest set him on a collision course With the constitution the day he took the oath He has 111 business interests in 18 different territories receiving illegal payments from foreign governments On a regular basis through all these different business interests He also has Enormous business interests throughout the united states which involve State subsidies and tax breaks illegally going To him through his company the trump organization We are facing a constitutional crisis This president is defying openly defying the rule of law And the basic principle That no one No one is above the law not even the president of the united states And then yesterday Something else happened The president decided abruptly To fire the director of the fbi In the midst of an ongoing criminal investigation into whether or not The president his associates in the trump campaign colluded with the russian government to interfere With the 2016 presidential election At Minimal he has engaged in impeding a criminal investigation And at worst he has engaged potentially in obstruction of justice recognized as a high crime Recognized during the watergate era As a high crime Local communities around the nation have already joined in making this call eight different communities Fought four in california los angeles city council richmond california alameda alameda california and berkeley california have all joined in Passing this kind of resolution before you tonight Here in massachusetts cambridge city council voted In favor of this and two tau meetings Leverett and pelham voted last saturday pelham was the most recent Rowe regas regas and regas and he's here tonight He's a pelham tau meeting member and he was a sponsor Of that resolution had passed unanimously And charlotte vermont's tau meeting also has passed this many others are scheduled to vote in the coming weeks This resolution Is about defending Our constitution And our democracy and the fundamental principle That no one is above the law no matter how powerful he or she may be I urge you to vote yes on article two Local communities have a role here a vital one in calling on our elected representatives in congress To engage in starting this impeachment investigation I'll stay stop here. Thank you. Mr. Steinberg for the select board The select board voted five to zero to not make a recommendation on this article We've adopted a policy This year for petition articles that Are not matters that are bylaw that do not directly are not directly related to town business and have no financial impact on the town To not make recommendations to you on these types of articles And a more of the finance committee has no position. Do you wish to make a statement or not? Yep, no statement by the finance committee This requires a majority vote because of the wording of the resolution Which asks that the number of yeas and nays be provided We will after the voice vote have an electronic vote. I will personally request it if no one else does This requires a majority and we are open to discussion And Yes, right over there Thank you, mr. Moderator peter vickery precinct two So assuming for the sake of argument only that president trump has received a foreign emolument within the meaning of Article one section nine clause eight two questions arise First of all, does the foreign emoluments clause apply to the office of president of the united states? Second question if a president does not abide by the foreign emoluments clause. Is that a basis for impeachment and removal from office? Answer to question one is no probably not answer to question two is no definitely not with all due respect to millerneyed brother First question. Does the foreign emoluments clause apply to the president of the united states? No, not according to george washington So professor seth barrett tillman wrote an article on this recently pointed out that President washington the first president um received from the government of france a portrait a full length portrait and guilt frame Of louis the 16th. This was before the french revolution Which he displayed in philadelphia then took home with him to mount vernon at no point Did he ask for the consent of congress? Why not because the foreign emoluments clause didn't apply to the office of president in the opinion of general washington And alexander hamilton for what it's worth As professor tillman points out general washington was punctilious about matters of personal honor And he was also very mindful of his role as the precedent setting first president And he knew a thing or two about the constitution as well And he thought the foreign emoluments clause didn't apply to the office of president or to any elected officials actually With regard to president andrew jackson different story andrew jackson as you know could well have averted the civil war, but uh However that thing got started who knows But he was prone to pick a fight whenever one Whether or not one was necessary and he did ask congress to Consent to his receipt of a gold medallion from simon bolivar of grand colombia Congress bravely in my opinion said no Bravely given jackson's proclivity for extreme personal violence. So there you have it General washington rule present washington rule. No for an emoluments rule doesn't apply andrew jackson Foreign emoluments rule does apply you take your pick no offense to old hickory, but i will opt for president washington second question Is it grounds for removal if the president applies? Abides by the washington rule doesn't apply to congress for consent. Um, no Ah treason bribery high crimes misdemeanors not treason bribery high crimes misdemeanors Or failing to ask for consent from congress In receipt of a foreign emolument or being really really unpopular in amnesty. That's not what the constitution requires So, uh, sorry to be a killjoy in a spoil sport, but the constitution does not permit this course of action Please vote no Is there further discussion? um Yeah, green card way back there Bonnie mccracken precinct six um I'm happy to represent all of you Registered democrats on the massachusetts democratic state committee. I was elected to this position in 2015 I'm encouraging you all to vote yes Um to stand up and to be counted and to send a message I when I attended the woman's march in boston I was on the train and I met this older man traveling into boston And he said the only reason i'm coming today Without my family without my wife because I feel it's important to stand up and be counted And I think that is the message that we will be giving tonight is that we're sending a message to washington That we don't approve of his politics and how he is defunding a lot of important programs That we support here as voters in amherst Thank you Yes right there fourth row center John hornick precinct seven Ladies and gentlemen be careful what you wish for Yes, agent orange is a vile person and an evil president Sorry, let's try and calm things down a little But if he steps down or is forced out, please consider the consequences First we get mike pence a right wing tea party republican Who promoted indiana's religious freedom law who tried to bar syrian refugees from resettling there Who opposes same-sex marriage who wants to severely restrict abortions? Who strongly supports the repeal of the affordable care act? Who believes that global warming is a myth? Who has top aides who worked in the coke brothers networks? And who supported ted crews for president? Second under pence, there will be no clean sweep of trump appointees A few will undoubtedly go But remember that mike pence took over the trump transition team after chris christie was fired Many key white house aides and cabinet secretaries are hand-picked by him Most will stay on to continue to wreak havoc third Placing trump with pence will only enhance the g.o.p.'s ability to accomplish what they wish to legislatively Mike pence calls paul ryan a personal friend Trump's rocky relations with republican congressional leaders will be replaced by a mutual admiration society Fourth the pence white house will present a bland non-confrontational style No one galvanizes public protests better than trump He makes people very angry And will help bring out voters in 2018 voters who might otherwise not participate in an off-year election The continuing circus around the white house only hurts republican candidates And finally the republicans will themselves rid trump when they believe he has become more of a liability than an asset The best way to hasten that day is to replace their elected members We actually have the opportunity to begin doing that now with two special u.s. House elections on may 25th and june 20th Please go online and support rob quist in montana and john ossoff in georgia And urge your family and friends to do so as well We can send a very important message by supporting quist and ossoff when we return home tonight Thank you Yes back row fourth and pat church precinct five As much as the idea of Of the vice president being in control is absolutely scary I still believe that This should this should go forward There should be an evaluation um, I believe as john said that this is a crisis And it's not Just about what we would like down the road I I honestly believe that this will change the office of the presidency If he gets away with this And I think truly we're only we're asking for it to be investigated. Please please support this Thanks ready to come to a vote No, I see hands Yes way over there second row Laura quilter precinct nine. I understand that many people in this room would Perhaps prefer not to vote or to abstain out of an impatience with gestures seen as symbolic and I would just like to offer the perspective that Civic bodies have since the time of their establishment Called in and weighed in upon issues of great moral importance And I just don't believe that there is another issue at this moment in this country as important as dealing with the Leader and this is a call for an investigation, which is a completely proper Um, step to take there is clearly a prima facie case that has been made on the emoluments question As well as on numerous other questions regarding misdeeds And so I would urge us to support this and to stand up and be part of the number of people around this country that are Saying this is not appropriate and that we as Civic leaders Say that thank you Thank you and White card right there Marcy sglove precinct two. I call the question Motion on the previous question has been made and seconded of two-thirds of you vote Yes, we will then come to an immediate vote on the motion under article 42 All those in favor of the motion for the previous question. Please say aye Opposed please say no Moderator here is two-thirds We now come to a vote on an article 42 the motion is in terms of the article And this requires a majority all those in I'm sorry Well, no first we have to have a voice vote So so all those in favor of the motion under article 42, please say aye Opposed please say no Moderator here's majority has it, but I am requesting electronic vote So we will I hear a point of order. Hold on a second Thank you, mr. Moderator rob custer precinct three the article requires A tally of the ayes and nays, but does it require actually a Recording of who votes which way? No, it's not just in case it just it actually says stating the number of yeas and nays in abstention So the next question is will these votes be tabulated with our names or not just in case what so It's an interesting point of order All I will tell you and all that is pertinent here is what will be provided based on this article is the numbers Um as you know if you've been paying attention you can look online the next day and see how everyone voted So that's this is an electronic vote no different than any other electronic vote Okay, so whenever you're ready we can display Okay, hold it point of order Uh, so there's somebody who does not see A number you don't see anything on your display screen at all Wait, wait. Do you see anything on your display screen? Okay, so maybe you're Okay, we'll we'll see if you can make it alive It can do that Everybody else sees their device number on the display screen, right? All right voting is open Anybody having any issues with their devices? Great And we have yes 116 no 13 the motion has carried And we now move on to Article 31 because article 30 is going to be heard at a date time certain And I call on mr. Slaughter to make the motion Good evening I move in terms of the article Motion's been made and seconded you may speak to your motion I'm sorry. Yes. Mr. Roberts is going to be speaking Could I have the uh slides put up for this article, please? And you can identify yourself while you're waiting for the slides if you want just so people know who you are My name is barry roberts. I live at 200 bay road in amherst and I'm here to talk about article 31 which is asking the select board to grant permission for us to Create an additional entrance point off a university drive onto this parcel of property Which is adjacent to the new market center directly south of new market center on the east side of the university drive and just North of a hundred university drive the office building that's located there I am proposing to do some development on this property and as you can see from the diagram The shaded areas indicate the wetlands are on this property So as we start to look at the development of this property There is access on the side next to new market center off of university drive That access is shared with new market center The property that i'm talking about actually owns the one entrance lane And the other entrance line belongs to new market center And there's reverse easements for travel So we could enter the parcel there and would intend to enter the parcel there to do some development on the peace nearest new market center But in order to reach the other uplands piece in this property We think it makes a lot more sense to enter off of university drive rather than going Trying to transverse the wetlands as shown More towards the north Granted there is some wetlands Where we have put the bubble around here This would be somewhere in that area where we would propose to create a new entrance off of university drive There is some wetlands there but nowhere near the amount of Wetlands that would be required to be crossed if we came from the north As As you may or may not know when university drive was created It was restricted at that time to six entrance points There is one more slide that if you could jump to it shows the existing one more Yeah Maybe if you could move. Yeah. Thank you very much The red dots indicate where the existing six entrances are on university drive And that was voted on by town meeting when university drive was created from the kenfield family University drive at that time was conceived to be a much bigger Roadway it was conceived to be a boulevard with a center median and four lanes of traffic And it was intended. I believe to go across Route nine and continue on into south amherst, which as we all know did not come to be so What we are asking is that you the town meeting give to the select board commission to grant a new Entrance off of a university drive It seems to us that all of the parcels on university drive except this one Are accessible by the existing entrances And obviously this this parcel is Um accessible From the north, but we think it makes a lot more sensitive create a new entrance way that rather than Transverse across the wetlands, and that's why we're here asking we will obviously Um be developing a project We will be going through all the approval processes and in order to create this entrance obviously conservation commission bicycle shade tree all of these Are committees before we go to the select board and say this is what we'd like to do I can answer any questions if anybody Thank you Mr. Slaughter for the select board The select board voted unanimously to recommend this to you a couple of things i'll point out First and foremost this Authorizes the select board to take action. It doesn't compel us to so we do still have Among the other regulatory Components to any development on this piece of property which involve conservation commission Etc etc We still have some authority with regard to whether to grant or not grant You're giving us the permission to then grant it if we if we choose to or if we find the circumstance is appropriate for that So that's one thing and so that also gives you guys and the town at large an opportunity to come to us and Express their opinion about anything that would be suggested to be developed on this Piece of property The other thing i'll remind you is we've changed the zoning on this piece of property in recent years Which of course as you know is zoning requires a two-thirds vote So two-thirds of you thought that it was appropriate to put business limited zoning in this area which Is in keeping with what if you look at the zoning bylaw and look up limited business zoning It perfectly fits the definition of what that is And so to to develop this piece of property was sort of the intent by having that zoning on it And so the select board supports that as well Trying to think of the one other point Again, you know, there is a level of control There is a concern obviously that at some point to get to that one p Section of the property. They'll have to be a transversing of the wetlands And as one of my colleagues likes to point out with regard to the wetlands It's not that you can never do it. It's just a matter of what has to happen to do it and for This location where it's a smaller amount of wetlands It's a much less invasive and problematic Transversing of those wetlands as opposed to the middle of the property, which is a much larger more extensive kind of Transversing and therefore much more difficult to preserve The wetlands and the environments around those so for those reasons the select board recommends this article to you Thank you. Is there somebody here from the planning board who wants to Make a statement. I'm not sure if there is or not Um, I guess not And conservation commission is there somebody from the conservation commission? So that was a maybe in my script I guess not. Um, in that case, um, mr. Hayden for the transportation advisory committee Aaron Hayden the vice chair of the transportation advisory committee, which is what the bicycle committee has become Is by the way We voted to recommend this article to the select board to recommend it to you It's The article itself does not have a lot to do with transportation. It's just a lease modification But the committee understands that any work that happens on that lot Will have a pretty significant impact on four major transportation networks that go up university drive There's the arthur swiftway, which carries pedestrians and bicyclers There's a university drive, which carries cars sort of sub optimally and especially in the commuting hours And there's a lot of mass transit that goes along there We're looking forward to making some significant recommendations When any plan is presented Uh for work on this plot in the future Thank you. Um, so did you want to speak to the planning board? Yes Okay, what's your step there? I'm steve schreiber chair of the planning board and the planning board Supported this unanimously for the reasons that have been stated Uh previously by the select board Thank you And miss tileman for the finance committee The finance committee voted for with the three absent to recommend this and if you'll turn to page 66 At the very last line of our recommendation. It says who now pays $3,200 that should be it is assessed now at $3,200 The land is presently assessed under chapter 61 a Which is a protective status and it is assessed at $3,200 and it pays $69 at 86 cents a year in property taxes In order to withdraw from the protected status of 61 a The owner has to pay the difference between the full tax value and chapter 61 a value Plus interest going back five years and that's approximately 40 thousand dollars The assessed value of the land will not change until the land is sold And the rollback taxes are paid the assessed value will change to approximately $334,000 a significant change in value And the uh tax generated from that will be $7,291 and 22 cents a year So other than proposition two and a half the only significant way to increase revenue Is to encourage new growth through responsible development The finance committee believes this is one of those opportunities. It recommends approval Thank you So a reminder the article is on the motion under it is authorizing the select board to release the restriction held by the town This requires a majority vote for passage Is there a discussion before we come to a vote? Um, yes right in the corner white card Yes, john pox precinct 10. I wonder if uh, mr. Roberts could give us a general idea of the project he has in mind Mr. Roberts if you're willing Thank you. Um As mr. Slaughter said, uh, you folks uh change the zoning on this to uh business limited In my vision. I see a mixed use project here Probably on the northern site Uh nearest new market center. I believe it should be some kind of commercial venture I believe the one where we're asking for the new curb cut to be some kind of residential Part we haven't really sat down and designed as as most some of you know I use john kuhn to design my project and we took a brief look at the project and decided that until we Knew where we were going to enter and how we were going to enter We really wouldn't uh try to design So but that's my thought process right now Thank you um Yes, right there in the center Thank you, mr. Moderator meg gauge precinct one Uh, I encourage people to support this and to quickly do it. I think it's a fix of something that needs to be done Giving mr. Roberts the opportunity to use the property the way we rezoned it I think it was last year or the year before It's a part of town where we've agreed this kind of development is appropriate And it seems to me something that we should just support and move on since we have so many things that require a lot of discussion Thank you. Um white card third row Gordon Gordon freed precinct six. I have the wonderful opportunity to look at the wetlands that face new market center on a daily basis as do my clients um Thank god for wetlands, but um What I don't understand a university drive we have um offset opposite entry points The prime example being the one in front of the big y I'm sorry, what's the point of order? Okay, so um, is it still there? Okay, thank you. I'm sorry you may continue. Thank you. Um Prime example being the uh entrance to the Center for Advanced Care versus the big y and here is going to be another place where we have offset of um This entry point Not quite in a line with the one almost across the street and It just seems that that makes turning more difficult and Maybe there's a a perfectly good transportation civil engineer who could explain why that is but I'd like to know Yes on the aisle there Carol gray precinct seven So I'm going to vote no just because I think that we should know exactly what's going there I think this is kurt before the horse and I'll tell you why I say that is Various times we've rezoned not knowing what was going to go go in there And so for example when we eliminated the parking district, we got these high rises a couple of them Many people are not happy with them when you rezone You should know what's going there and I think that we should see the plan I might well love the plan. I might want to support it But getting rezoning is not a right zoning is supposed to help serve the public good I don't think we know yet if this will Please don't interrupt the speaker changing existing policies regarding things like like this Once we find out what's going there, I think that's the time to consider this otherwise we could For example other times we rezoned the hill lot thinking it was going to be Amherst media Well, it's not it enhanced the value for the property owner, but it didn't go there We should see what's going there We should find out for example if there's a new development Is the infrastructure going to be paid for by the developer or is that going to be a burden to the town Will town have to pay for expansion of infrastructure? A lot of things are unknown and I think that we should know them first We want to plan our town with a master plan in mind We don't want to just change things having no idea what's going to go there and then say wow That's really unfortunate that it looks like that. Let's see what's going to look like first and then decide I'd like to remind town meeting that there's nothing before you to do any kind of rezoning The zoning is staying the same again We are voting whether or not to authorize the select board to release a restriction Allowing another access point from the road. So it is not a rezoning. Which is why it's just a majority vote Yes on the aisle there Jeff lost on precinct six I think it's perfectly reasonable for mr Roberts to know where the access point is going to be to his property before he designs it So i'm going to be voting yes for this Yes, right there second in from the aisle Hallie Hughes precinct five. I call the question Motion for the previous question has been made and seconded if two-thirds of you vote Yes, we will come to an immediate vote On the motion before you under article 31 All those in favor of the motion for the previous question, please say aye Opposed please say no Moderator here's two-thirds We now come to immediate vote on article 31 The motion is in terms of the article and this requires a majority vote All those in favor, please say aye Opposed please say no Moderator here's a majority I'm sorry you're requesting is somebody requesting electronic vote Okay, we're having electronic vote This is on the motion under article 31 And you may vote anytime Everybody okay with their devices Looks good. Yes 110 no 18 abstained six and article 31 has passed So I believe at this time We are going to move on to article 32 Which means that the planning board and the director replaced the finance committee director at the front table So do we have a planning board Still 15 minutes we can get through 9 10 warrant articles Yeah, here point of order. Can we get a microphone there? Second row Go ahead molly turn a precinct one. Do we have a quorum here tonight? Um, so what was the last vote? So the last vote was 110 plus 18 plus six, which is 134 so as of the last vote we did are you satisfied with that or do you want to challenge it again? Okay, okay. Yep, we're good. Thank you Just you know, even though we do have a quorum It is perfectly okay for town meeting to continue even if we don't have a quorum But if anybody challenges it and we take an actual count and don't have a quorum, then we can't continue anymore Another point of order while we're waiting. That's fine. Uh, thank you Gordon free precinct six just while we're changing You have to actually vote an abstention If you don't press a button that does not count as an abstention. Is that correct? No, no what we see on the screen is people who actually abstain So there there could be more people here than you actually see for instance I didn't press any button. Whereas if there was a quorum count, I would So that number isn't necessarily everybody who sees who's here, which is a good point And we're almost ready to proceed with article 32 And I hear point of order Microphone, I don't even who said it even here we go Um, it's my understanding if there's a call about quorum You actually actually have to actually count some people left So I asked the person who made the point of order if she wanted to formally request a quorum counter If she was satisfied with the previous vote and she said she was I actually know some people have already left So I would question the quorum. Are you are you formally challenging the quorum? Because I know some people left we need to have a vote and I request that everybody who's here press Either one or two or three when the vote comes up Because we just need to see if the total equals 126 And I'm excited because I get to vote Okay, press a button any button as long as it's one two or three Everybody satisfied that they see something on their device 116 plus eight is 124 plus 26 is way over a quorum. We are good to go I now call on mr. Burt whistle to make a motion under article 32 I move in terms of the article Motion has been made and seconded and Is it are you speaking or is mr. Crowner speaking to the motion mr. Crowner? I'm rob crowner. I'm uh, member of the planning board article 32 Continues the planning board's recent cleaning up of table three the dimensional table By relocating three footnotes to a different section of the zoning by-law Where they will have the same effect But should be more easily understood where they won't needlessly contribute to the clutter of the dimensional table The dimensional table is where the minimum or maximum standards for the basic building dimensions For each of the zoning districts in amherst is located These include lot size and coverage frontage setbacks in height Many of the rows columns or cells in the table have historically been marked with a footnote That either helps the user interpret the standard or modifies the standard under certain conditions However, most of the footnotes are rarely used or otherwise don't need to be attached to the dimensional table A better place for them is in the text of the zoning by-law chapter In which the dimensional table appears Where each dimension has a section that explains how to interpret measure or apply it That is chapter six also known as article six of the zoning by-law At the fall town meeting you deleted five footnotes that no longer served any purpose This article involves three footnotes dealing with rare circumstances of side and rear setbacks And we're asking you to to move the language of those footnotes Into the appropriate subsections of article six of the zoning by-law This action would not change how the by-law works. It just changes how it is organized and how it looks Footnote d applies only in the denser residential zones general residents neighborhood residents and village center residents And allows the side yard setback to be waived When two single family homes are built next to each other at the same time on adjoining lots And share a party wall Otherwise each house has to set be set back at least 10 or 15 feet from the property line That language would be moved to a new subsection 6.135 Under section 6.13 which concerns the interpretation of side setbacks with no change to the regulation itself Footnotes e and f modify side and rear setbacks in particular zones when the parcel in question joins a residential zone In which case the setback is increased In the general business neighborhood business and light industrial zones The setback increases from 10 feet to 20 feet And the office park and professional research park zones. It increases from 10 feet to 50 feet Again, we are not proposing any change to setbacks in any zone. Just changing where the provisions are located in the by-law Interestingly the language of footnote e already exists under section 6.13 And 6 6.14 Though it doesn't reference the neighborhood business zone even though it does apply there So in that case we'll add b and to the existing text and just delete the footnote For footnote f we'll have to add new subsections while deleting the footnote Part a of this amendment copies the footnote language over to the new sections where needed Part b deletes the footnote itself from the list at the end of table three And substitutes the word reserved so that we don't have to renumber all the subsequent footnotes And risk making a mistake when changing them in the dimensional table Part c drops the annotations from the dimensional table And since the cells where footnotes e and f don't currently have a numerical a numeral indicating the default dimension We'll insert the numeral 10 Which is the actual default dimension according to those footnotes Playing board unanimously recommends this article Thank you And the select board recommends this article. I believe they don't have a statement on this And the finance committee Has no position on this anybody want to make a statement, but I don't think so No, and since this is changing the zoning bylaws, it does require a two-thirds vote Is there discussion before we come to a vote? Um, yes over there front row Rob cusner precinct three. I support this. I remember when I was in grad school I had a textbook on algebraic topology And all the proofs were referred to footnote a page 37 lemma 2.3 on page something else It was by a guy named spanier. His son became president of penn state. I'm afraid And he probably heard about him Uh, this should clean up some things to make our zoning bylaw a little bit less than spanier's algebraic topology book Further discussion before we vote I see no hands. We will come to a vote motion is in terms of the article for article 32 requires two-thirds All those in favor, please say aye Opposed please say no moderate hears unanimous vote article 33 I call on mr. Burt whistle to make a motion again I move in terms of the article Motion made and seconded and again. Mr. Crowner is making the statement for the planning board Again rob counter Article 33 is another amendment streamlining the dimensional table footnotes This one involves two unrelated footnotes that apply to every zone in the town And are a bit more generic than the ones in the previous article We thought we'd do them in a separate article so as to minimize potential confusion But the effect will be the same the language of the footnotes will be moved to another part of article of article six of the zoning bylaw And the footnotes themselves will be dropped from table three The substance of the bylaw will remain the same. It will just look a little different Footnote h establishes minimum conditions for a building lot in any zone Irrespective of the basic minimum lot size in each of the various zones While basic minimum lot sizes range from 12,000 to 80,000 square feet depending on the zone Any lot needs to also be either 90 non wetlands or have 20,000 Contiguous square feet that is not wetlands That's pretty basic So we're proposing to move that up to the top of the list in the section that describes lot area requirements Footnote l currently annotates the entire dimensional table It's right up there on the title and what it does is let the user know That the dimensional table is in effect for religious and educational uses uses Which are protected uses according to massages law Meaning that they can't be prohibited Though they can be reasonably regulated So those uses are subject to the same dimensional requirements as any other kind of use with one exception Which is described in section 6.6 of the of the bylaw The footnote points the user to the table points the user of the table to that section But removing the footnote doesn't make the section any less effective Since the whole of article 6 of the of the bylaw is intended to be used in conjunction with the dimensional table This amendment moves the text of the of the footnote to section 6.6 And that's two more down planning board unanimously recommends this article Thank you. It's my understanding that the select board recommends but does not wish to make a statement It's my understanding that the finance committee has no position and doesn't need to make a statement This also requires a two-thirds vote. Is there a discussion before we come to a vote? I see no hands Well, is there a hand? Yes Okay, identify yourself with the microphone Helen Berg precinct one. Um, can you show us a map of the property? So, um, I believe there is no map here This is zoning bylaws that may be covered in many different places And it's just rearranging the wording of the bylaws to make them more readable basically So there's no specific map. It could be anywhere in town It okay. Um, would it be correct to characterize this as a pro-growth? No, I don't think that really makes sense. No, okay There's further discussion before we come to a vote I see no hands this requires two-thirds all those in favor of the motion under article 33. Please say aye Opposed please say no The eyes have it it is unanimous And article 34 I call on mr. Burt whistle to make a motion I move in terms of the article Motion is made and seconded you may speak to your motion Actually, I'm sorry. Ms. Chow is going to speak to this one. I'm Maria Chow Um Article 34 zoning non substantive corrections To see if the town will amend article 11 administrative and enforcement of the zoning bylaw This article is being brought forward to reduce the time and effort of the town meeting and other boards and committees spent on reviewing changes to the text of the zoning bylaw That amount to proofreading and copy editing while not changing the substance of the bylaw Several towns have adopted this type of language in their zoning bylaws some of which are concord mass Dalton mass reading mass Well fleet and Hillsborough, New Hampshire An example where this article would prove useful is looking at section three two of the zoning bylaw where use regulations Specific to so-called special districts are listed is poorly organized such that the numbering protocol has been exhausted And no new substance subsections can be added to describe regulations for any potential new special districts Uh, let's see the article Would add a new subsection to section 11 of the zoning bylaw which provides for amendment of that document The procedure being proposed would constitute amendment only in a technical sense practically It is about correcting errors or changing numbering It would it would require a discussion of the proposed change at a public hearing of the planning board and be Sign off by the town clerk who is the keeper of the town's official records The proposed amendment would allow strictly technical adjustments to the zoning bylaw and would streamline suggested as Editions to sections rather than be hindered by the current organizational limitations of the zoning bylaw numbering system It would relieve the town meeting of the time effort and paperwork That would otherwise be needed to make minor adjustments to the zoning bylaw that do not change How the bylaw works or the substance of any provision or zoning The plan where may request a change that inadvertently or otherwise Does affect the substance of zoning and should be subject to the approval of town meeting However, it is hoped that this risk would be mitigated by the requirement that the proposed change be implemented by the town clerk Who may decline to do so at his or her discretion um The zoning subcommittee reviewed this non substantive corrections this past fall and it was decided to bring this article and it was a Six zero vote with three absent to recommend this article. Thank you Miss Kruger for the select board. Did you want to say something here? Nope select board recommends it, but doesn't need to make a statement finance committee has no position Doesn't need to make a statement. It requires a two-thirds vote. Is there discussion before we come to a vote? um Yes, about boroughs back there white card Jim Oldham piecing five. This sounds like a reasonable proposal. Uh, just a question with the Two votes that we just had the two previous articles have qualified as uh Under this could could change. They were Not changing the content of the law. They were changing Footnotes into the body of the zoning and i'm curious if if that would go If this would be broad enough to allow something like that. Thank you. Mr. Crowner um I would say that these the previous two articles would not qualify. Um, they would these those uh articles actually Deleted some language and moved and added language the same language, but but it it was actual Moving stuff around it would allow us to not have to come back to you When we're done deleting all the footnotes, we're going to come back with another article that that um Who's all moves that right now with the footnotes are a b reserve reserve reserve? We're going to we're going to um be able to move all those up Delete all the reserves without having to go to town meeting. Thank you. Um, yes front row Rob caster precinct three. This is a more serious Comment and I don't know whether This it's probably impossible to to amend this at this point, right? It's a friendly amendment, but The town clerk I would hope would report to town meeting the results of such De minimis changes That would be the one request and perhaps this could be amended at a future town meeting or your practice could be And the other thing that's maybe more substantive. I would I would hope that Such changes would would be effective although they shouldn't have any effect But if there is some effect after such a report to town meeting It doesn't require the approval of town meeting But it's sort of a notice to town meeting in addition to the public hearings that you're proposing So I'd just like to put that on the table for a future town meeting To read legislative necessary or make it your practice Yeah, and just you know if you you didn't make a motion to amend if you had I wouldn't have accepted it because I would have felt It wasn't in scope, but it's a great comment Um, yes, I see a hand there Carol gray precinct seven so Let me just read the by lock as I think it's important to know the exact wording After public hearing in accordance with article three public hearing of the planning board rules and regulations The planning board may request and the town clerk may make now. Here's the key language Non-substantive corrections including doesn't say just these things it says including so that means it can include other things too Including the following reordering and renumbering and correcting cross reference numbering and typographical errors So those are things are harmless renumbering things like that, but Who defines what non substantive? Changes are there have been countless bylaws that have come to this body with the former planning director in particular saying this is a technical fix Well, in fact, they were substantive changes that Helped or hindered projects down the road and basically this is shifting the power to decide changes in the by-law away from town meeting to A planning board that's all appointed by one person and instead of having the elected body Which handles zoning make the decision. I think the last two votes showed that when there's a really technical fix They go through in two minutes So I don't see why we should shift the power to determine what's substantive and what's non substantive from this body Quick fixes go through quickly I think we should vote no and keep the power for zoning in town meeting Further discussion before I come to a vote Yes, I see a hand there Janet McGowan precinct eight I I have a kind of a comment or a question or a request which is for those of us who look at the zoning by-law and Try to keep up with it It's actually really hard to to keep up with it online or get a hard copy from the clerk's office And so I don't know if you can figure out some way when there's been a non substantive change to sort of put it on the List serve saying hey, we just changed this so The six of you who are really into this and want to follow it Can make the change at home, you know or something like that just to kind of Communicate with town meeting a little bit Because I have been occasionally working on a By-law version that is out of date or is missing a page or a correction and things like that for people who Are sort of grooving on these things We're ready to come to a vote I see another hand there second row Maria Kepicki Precinct date so my question is if somebody felt after a change if this goes through and somebody felt afterwards that it was not non substantive What would be the recourse? What could one do? About that But if the front table have a comment on that Yes Yes, I'm sorry There there would be a notice in the paper and A notice on the town website about a public hearing that the planning board would hold so people would be Able to come to the planning board meeting and discuss this or send A letter or a memo or an email to the planning board In advance of the public hearing or at the public hearing if they had concerns about a change So, you know, there would be a public process Thank you Yes, right here second row William DeVore precinct five. I support this to me. This reads more I have a background as a graphic designer to me. This reads more like an issue of formatting the actual article rather than any sort of substantive Content changes, so I'm wondering if maybe That language would need to be inserted instead of saying non-sensitive corrections Maybe just adding formatting in there because you know the numbering and reordering that's not really Changing any of the content of the law itself Well, we can't add any language to it at this point in time. Um, are we ready to come to a vote? Yes in the back corner there Felicity Callahan precinct nine in the presentation It was said that the town clerk had the discretion to agree to make these corrections or not Is that that's not that's not really Put into the wording there. Is it all in the word may where it says to the town clerk may Do it is that the may that gives her the discretion to say I don't think that these are non substantive Yes, that's the word that gives her that authority or that discretion Yes, I actually call any of my names here good. Um, yes third row in the aisle right there Jerry wise precinct eight. I call the question Most of the previous question has been made and seconded before we come to a vote I am going to give a couple quick reminders Um, clean up after yourselves return your electronic devices and a thank you to everybody who stayed tonight Till the end of the meeting and now we're voting on the motion of the previous question If two-thirds of you vote. Yes, we will then come to an immediate vote on article 34 All those in favor of the motion of the previous question. Please say I Opposed please say no Moderator here's two-thirds. We now come to a vote on the motion before you It's just in terms of the article for article 34. This requires a two-thirds vote all those in favor. Please say I Opposed please say no Moderator here's two-thirds We have an electronic vote You may enter your vote anytime This is on article 34, which requires two-thirds Anybody having any problems with their voting devices? We have 109. Yes 33. No, we have achieved two-thirds. I call on miss. So the article has passed Calling this brewer to make a motion I move to adjourn to thursday tomorrow May 11th Motion made in second into you wish to speak to this motion We said we would give people the option I am well aware that there's a charter commission meeting tomorrow night and lots of other things in people's lives But we said we would give people the option of meeting tomorrow night And this is not debatable. So we now come to immediate vote requires maturity majority vote Yes, we will meet tomorrow if the majority votes no, we'll have another motion from this brewer All those in favor of adjourning till tomorrow night. Please say I I Opposed no Ms. Brewer. Let's uh Nose have it. Ms. Brewer make another motion, please Hey, hey folks. Hey be polite. Let the motion happen here I move to adjourn to monday may 15th Motion is made in seconded. Do you wish to speak to that motion? No. No all those in favor of adjourning to monday night Please say I Opposed no We are adjourned. See you all next monday Thank you