BELLOWS FALLS — Rockingham Free Public Library director Celina Houlne recently asked the Rockingham Selectboard for an increase of $30,925 over the level-funded budget that the library has been operating under for the past two years.
Houlne said that while the funding has remained the same, costs have increased. If the RFPL is not granted their request, Houlne said that “we're going to have to cut back on our services.”
She added that she has been assured by interim Town Manager Francis “Dutch” Walsh that the cost of repairs and renovations from a burst water pipe on Dec. 12 that devastated the library's local history collection will be covered by insurance, and have no effect on the library's need for a budgetary increase.
“Property and liability insurance, health insurance, utilities and heating, as well as technology costs have all risen dramatically in the past two years,” Houlne said. “We've been cutting and cutting as much as we could, but the costs keep going up and up. I know it's a tough economy. I understand that. But what are we supposed to do?”
Houlne said the plan for renovations continues to move forward. “We've been meeting with architects looking at the systems we use throughout the building, and how best to design them so we don't have to re-do them again 10 or 20 years down the road.”
“SMP Architects came highly recommended. They know about preservation of old buildings,” Houlne said of the Philadelphia architectural firm. Indeed, their client list includes the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Oxford (Pa.) Public Library, among many others.
Houlne said SMP has been very helpful in “making this a green building. We are looking at putting solar panels on the flat roof [at the back of the library], and making the building as energy efficient as possible.”
She also described using a “heat pump” for heating and cooling the building, “similar to how refrigerators function,” as one idea she is discussing as part of the systems of the building.
“We can heat each floor, even rooms, separately,” Houlne said. “Or cool them.”
Kohler and Lewis Engineers of Keene, N.H., she said, have done many projects throughout Vermont and New Hampshire. They have designing energy efficient systems for old buildings, including libraries, and are consulting with Houlne.
“If we invest now,” Houlne said, “we can save later.”
The bond to pay for the systems overhaul will hopefully go before the voters at the annual village meeting in May, Houlne said.
Houlne stated that the RFPL is one of the “community anchor institutions” slated to connect to a high-speed broadband Internet fiber optic network under the Federal Communications Commission's Schools and Libraries Program.
Sovernet was chosen to partner with the Vermont Telecommunications Authority to use $33.4 million of stimulus funds to “develop, own, maintain, and operate a 773-mile fiber-optic 'middle mile' network in southern, central, and northeastern Vermont.”
“Once they've put in the fiber optic cable for [the schools and libraries], it will be much easier for other local connections to access it,” Houlne said.
While this is good news, the aging physical infrastructure of the RFPL, and the services the library provides, need continued funding.
Following a meeting of the Library Board, Houlne wrote that the Dec. 12 disaster illustrates that “the library's need is great and the aging structure is clearly letting us know that our days of deferring are coming to a rapid end.”
The library has made every effort to cut other budget line items, including an 8 percent cut in purchases of books and audiovisual materials, and a 9 percent cut in staff hours, Houlne wrote, and budget gaps have been covered by using the library's savings.
But Houlne wrote that the RFPL's cash reserve is dwindling and “we have less funds available for emergencies, and less interest revenue to contribute to pay operating expenses… We are trying to reverse this trend by increasing our fundraising efforts.”
The Friends of the Rockingham Library, which supports events and fund-raising at RFPL, is taking a more active role to fill some of the gaps in funding and volunteers. However, their efforts are not enough to cover the shortfall and provide what is necessary to maintain the same level of service area residents expect, she wrote.
“If we don't receive an increase from the town, we'll be forced to decrease our services,” she concluded.
Library usage nationwide has increased, especially since the start of the current recession. Libraries and the services they provide have become more important to people in the community who have less money to spend on other forms of entertainment.
During the last year, Houlne noted a 15 percent increase in RFPL card holders, with program attendance up 25 percent. Computer usage is “way up as people come to the library to search for jobs and file applications online.”
Houlne hopes voters will approve the necessary bonding in the spring for renovations and repairs so that the library can continue to move forward. She believes a “do it right now, and save later” approach will keep the RFPL in good shape for generations to come.