Russell Memorial Library

88 Main Street, Acushnet, MA 02743
Phone: 508.998.0270  Fax: 508.998.0271

Acushnet Library & Community Center Building Project

The following information will keep you informed of the latest news, developments, and details of the progress towards an improved library facility for the Town of Acushnet. A citizen driven petition has put this item on the warrant for further discussion at the:

View slides of the Special Town Meeting presentation made on February 25th.

View the (2/25) Special Town Meeting on cable access.
(Library presentation begins at 18:06).

If you have never visited the Russell Memorial Library, view pictures of our current facility.

The Improved Acushnet
Library/Community Center
 is a Master Plan Initiative

Expand the former Howard School (current Acushnet Community Center)
at its present site on 232 Middle Road to accommodate
both public library operations and community center activities.

Town voters will be asked to appropriate $2.9M to cover the local match
(46% of the cost) needed for the renovation and expansion project at the
Special Town Meeting on Monday, May 20, 2013.

The Town has been awarded State Grant Funding ($3.2M)
that would cover over 50% of the cost of this project.

If the spending article passes at Town Meeting, a follow-up
debt-exclusion question will appear on the ballot for the election
taking place on Tuesday, June 25, 2013.

 

This project can help ensure that Community Center activities continue and that the Town of Acushnet has a Library that all residents can use.

If voters do not approve a local match, the $3.2M state grant will be lost,
the project will not move forward and
the Community Center will close at the end of June 2013.

How will this project be funded?

 

$6,382,000 – Project cost

COST OFFSET BY:

$3,189,536 – State library construction grant

$258,357 – Private funding from a Library Trust and
the Library Friends Group

 

$2,934,107 = Town’s share of this project

(or 46% of the full cost)

 

 

Individual taxpayer cost will be based on home value.
($0.20 per $1,000 of value)

44% of the homes in Acushnet are valued between $125,000-200,000 - their annual cost will be approx $30-40, or $8-10 per quarterly tax bill.