Home Government Town of Dighton Shares Details Regarding Proposed Acquisition of 207 Main Street Property for the Dighton Public Library

Town of Dighton Shares Details Regarding Proposed Acquisition of 207 Main Street Property for the Dighton Public Library

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Articles 30 and 31 to be voted on at Annual Town Meeting

Town Administrator Michael Mullen and Library Director Jocelyn Tavares, together with the Dighton Board of Selectmen and Library Board of Trustees, would like to share details regarding the proposed acquisition of the building and property located at 207 Main St. for the purposes of operating the Dighton Public Library.

The proposed acquisition is Article 30 on this year’s Town Meeting Warrant. The article will be voted on at the Annual Town Meeting which is scheduled for Monday, June 6, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School Auditorium, 2700 Regional Road, North Dighton.

The Article seeks approval only for the acquisition of the property. Funding for the acquisition is able to be separately approved through the Town’s American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) grant allocation.

The acquisition of this historic community property makes future improvements eligible to be funded through Dighton’s Community Preservation funds, thereby limiting the pressures on Dighton’s operational and capital budgetary needs. It also would allow the town to preserve a valuable, historic property located near the wild and scenic Taunton River.

Ahead of the Annual Town Meeting, town officials would like to share details regarding the proposed acquisition.

“The proposed acquisition of 207 Main Street for the Dighton Public Library proposes a cost-effective, long-term solution to address longstanding library community needs,” said Town Administrator Mullen. “During the past few months, we have worked hard with the Library Director, the Library Trustees, and stakeholders to bring this exciting proposal to fruition. We want to ensure that everyone who attends Monday’s Town Meeting has as much information as possible on the proposal in order to make an informed decision on the proposed warrant articles. We encourage residents to familiarize themselves with the details below and reach out should they have any additional questions.”

History of the Dighton Public Library

The original Dighton Public Library, located at 395 Main St.,  was a Carnegie library built in 1910 with 3,000 square feet of operational space. A Carnegie library is one that was built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

While the building served the town for decades, it was recently closed to the public due to space limitations, building safety concerns, lack of adequate egress, and handicapped accessibility issues. The library currently operates at Dighton’s Town Hall Campus, with its General Collection housed in a 12-foot by 60-foot modular trailer unit and its Youth Services Department located on the lower level of Town Hall.

These separate temporary locations have significantly limited library operations. Staff work at each location, which has caused a major disruption for library patrons, especially patrons with children. Additionally, temporary library services include very little technological programming, thereby preventing Dighton’s ability to offer modern library services to its residents.

Currently, the town remains on the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) project funding waiting list. The town’s current application, which proposes to construct an $8 million addition to the Main Street Library building, has failed to garner local support.

Proposed Solution

In November 2021, town officials commissioned an evaluation for the Dighton Public Library in which multiple sites were reviewed and certified appraisals were performed. In March 2022, the Board of Selectmen and the Library Trustees met to discuss the site at 207 Main St. During this meeting, the Library Trustees endorsed this site as a possible future location for the Library and the Board of Selectmen voted to begin the process of possibly purchasing the site.

In mid-May, the Board of Selectmen approved a Purchase and Sales Agreement with Father’s House Family Church, the owner of the parcel. At the Board of Selectmen meeting on May 25, town officials and the Board of Selectmen provided a presentation of the proposed new library location.

The presentation, together with all proposal information, can be found on the Town of Dighton website here.

The 207 Main St. location, also known as Smith Memorial Hall, was built in 1889 by John Dixon Johnston. The building offers 9,014 square feet on two floors and sits on a 0.75-acre site. The main level is 4,500 square feet, which exceeds the old library’s 3,000 square feet layout. Currently, the building has ADA-compliant elements and a compliant fire alarm system.

The parcel also boasts 60-plus parking spaces and is not in the 100-Year Flood Zone.

Total initial costs, including acquisition and building improvements, are expected to cost approximately $2 million. The cost associated with the purchase of 207 Main St. would be significantly less than the previously proposed $8 million addition.

Phase 1 – Acquisition & Initial Capital Improvements on the June 6, 2022, ATM

As part of Phase 1, the Town seeks approval for the acquisition of property, not funding, at the Annual Town Meeting. With approval on Article 30, the town will then use $790,000 of American Rescue Plan Act Funds (not local tax dollars) to purchase the property. This proposes a cost-effective solution to addressing the library’s needs without impacting tax bills.

Article 31 in the Town Meeting Warrant seeks approval to expend up to $150,000 from the Capital Stabilization Fund to supplement the costs for capital improvements, including the exterior weatherization, accessibility entrances, and parking lot and grounds improvements.

An anticipated Community Preservation Committee funding request to be developed this summer would fund additional, historically appropriate exterior/interior improvements. The town is actively working to identify alternative (state/federal) funding sources, including state Green Community funding, to help achieve project goals.

Additional details about the proposed acquisition can be found on the Town of Dighton website here.

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