Politics & Government

State Library Board Denies Belmont's Request to Move New Library Site

Decision likely ends attempts by Board of Library Trustees to build a new building for the near future; must return nearly $8 million in state funding.

A last gasp attempt to save a $19.5 million new Belmont Public Library proposal was shot down when the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners denied a request by the Belmont Board of Library Trustees to build the 42,000 square-foot two story structure on the site of the present library building. 

The MBLC voted Thursday, July 11, in Boston not to allow the move after the Belmont School Committee refused in April to transfer land across Concord Avenue from the present library to the Trustees as it would reduce the number of playing fields needed by Belmont High School for its sports program.

The refusal by the state to allow the change has all but effectively ended the hope of the Trustees to construct a state-of-the-art library to replace the nearly half-century old structure at 336 Concord Ave.

It is now expected that the Trustees will return the nearly $8 million in a state grant to build the new library to the MBLC that will then fund proposals from communities that were on the board's waiting list.

This marks the third time in the past 15 years that Belmont has failed to move past the grant-acceptance stage in building a new library.

"We do have an extension of the grant until December but I don't know where we go from here if we don't have a site or just as critically the support of the town," said Library Trustee Elaine Alligood, who was not in Boston when the decision was made.

Matt Lowrie, chair of the Belmont Board of Library Trustees, announced last month that the Trustees would follow the successful example used in West Springfield last year which persuaded the MBLC to allow the use of an alternative location to the site submitted to the state, which is prohibited by the state as part of the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program which awards grants to communities to build new libraries. 

But unlike the West Springfield decision made last year, which resulted when the city revoked an existing agreement with the library when it decided to use the land for school expansion, the Belmont Trustees never held title over the land which impacted the MBLC's vote to deny the request.

As a result, Belmont will not have an opportunity to seek another MBLC grant for at least five years. 


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