‘The library is an important resource in our community’

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Letter to the Editor logoTo the Editor of the Community Advocate,

I am writing to express my support for the Westborough Library renovation project and to urge other registered voters in town to attend the Special Town meeting on Saturday, December 10 to make your voices heard.

I have read many postings on social media from residents who have been complaining about what they perceive as a “do over” by voting again on the library project at the Special Town meeting. I think the original vote illustrated that Westborough has outgrown the town meeting form of government and did not accurately reflect the sentiment of the town so I appreciate the work done by my fellow citizens to get the Special Town meeting called per Massachusetts law to ensure broader representation of the town on this topic.

Many people are naturally concerned about the cost of the project to the town, approximately $28 million after $9 million in funding from the state. While this is clearly a lot of money, it is important to look not just at the total cost of the project but the incremental impact on our taxes. Based on the financial assessment provided by the town, the average taxpayer in Westborough will be investing $332 per year in the year with the largest impact and other years will be less. If I were selling this project on TV, I would be saying “it costs less than a dollar a day to fund it”.

Our job as citizens and taxpayers is to invest not only in things that we deem essential but also to invest in non-essential projects that contribute positively to our town. The library is an important resource in our community and makes our town a more desirable place to live. It is very widely used by families with children and the elderly and helps to contribute to the overall quality of life here.

Whether you agree with my support of the library renovation project or not, please join me at the high school on December 10 to make sure that your opinion is heard.

Sincerely,

Derek Speed
Westborough

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