NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The library trustees are leery of drawing down the Cariddi bequest to cover repairs to the belvedere on the historic Blackinton Mansion. 

 

They also want to better informed on the city's decisions regarding grants and restoration work. 

 

Chair Tara Jacobs said at Thursday's meeting she had spoken that day with Mayor Jennifer Macksey and administration officials regarding a $75,000 grant from Massachusetts Historical Commission and the timeline on the work for the library's tower. 

 

"I requested that the trustees become far more involved in this process and updated more regularly," she said. "I asked the mayor first, at that meeting, to set a regular series of involved meetings to stay connected on what's happening."

 

Jacobs said the mayor was apologetic for not looping them in earlier. She also asked for a revision on the letter amended to the grant as it is signed by a person who has not been chair, or on the board of trustees, for some years. 

 

The engineer with the project is now tentatively scheduled to attend the trustees' January meeting to provide a review of the design work, the plans and the next steps in the process. 

 

Jacobs said she thought the timeline for repairs was optimistic.

 

"In their best case timeline, they'll be able to put this project out to bid for construction in January, February," she said. "In that event, then the earliest possible construction time would be to start in spring. Again, I highly doubt that really is the timeline, but we will see."

 

The scope of the work is only on the exterior — roofing, trim repairs and woodwork. It includes includes demolishing the existing roof membrane, flashing insulation and protection boards on the existing flat roof, repairing and repainting the window frames and sashes, and painting and sealing all surfaces. 

 

"This grant is for $75,000. We also still have an earmark coming through from Rep. [John] Barrett," she said. "So the combination of the two means that there's less of a burden on supplementing with the Cariddi money."

 

The late state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi had left the public library more than $260,000, including a $7,500 donation toward the establishment of an astronomy club.

 

However, Trustee Richard Taskin noted the estimate for the work is $373,000, which even with the $150,000 between the grant and earmark, would drain the bequest and could cost more.

 

There is currently $286,000 in the Cariddi bequest.

 

"This is my personal feelings on it, but it is a project that, at the end of the day, takes care of the needs of that building, makes sure that whatever water damage we're incurring and degrading that's happening is repaired in total," Jacob said. "I still don't love using all of the money for maintenance."

 

Taskin said if the trustees are an advisory board, then it's the mayor's decision about what to do this money. "That's not really worth making us think about it to an extent that we're going to say no," he said.

 

Trustee Sarah Farnsworth asked if there were other needs they had to be concerned with, "what kind of lurch does that leave us in?"

 

"It's not so much that it leaves us in a lurch, because the operations of the library don't require trustee funds. Trustee funds are for additive and emergent moments," said Jacobs, adding she would prefer to see a larger match from the city so the funds could be used "as far and extensively as possible."

 

The trustees voted to provisionally support the project but with questions about its financial impact. 

 

In other business, Library Director Veronica Clark said the library had had another busy month with two well-attended book events, adult and children's programming and an information session by the Astronomy Club, and a very successful participation in the city's Halloween event. 

 

The door count was 4,543 compared to 1,500 last year, and circulation was 5,064, up from 4,958. The trustees noted the differential but were pleased that programming was bringing people into the library, which in turn they expected will raise circulation.