STONY POINT, NY – July 1, 2022 – On Thursday, June 30, the Board of Rose Memorial Library Association approved putting a measure on the November 8 ballot that would provide additional funding for the library through a one-time increase of $1,475,000. The increase provides for an ongoing annual operating budget of $1,800,000 from the Town of Stony Point. The requested amount was finalized after months of consultation with financial advisors, architects and engineers. If approved by voters, the additional funding would be used for purchasing, renovating, and operating a new, larger library facility at the historic schoolhouse at 117 West Main Street in Stony Point.
The $1.8 million annually will cover the increased operating costs consistent with a larger library program and debt service, which includes the $1.425 million purchase and $8.0 million renovation of the historic 1895 schoolhouse. Alice Meacham, Director of Rose Memorial said, “We have and will continue to approach this project with incredible care, thoughtfulness and attention to detail. The funding request that has been decided upon achieves the Board’s desire to be exceedingly financially responsible, while still creating the library and gathering place the residents of Stony Point both need and deserve.”
When broken down, the funding request for 2023 is $3.78 total per $1,000 of assessed home value for homestead parcels and $8.96 total per $1,000 of assessed value for non-homestead parcels. For example, a home currently assessed at $40,000 would pay $151.20 next year for library taxes. Assessed home values can be found via the 2022 Final Assessment Roll on the Town of Stony Point site at https://www.townofstonypoint.org/departments/assessors-office. This funding would be collected through Town of Stony Point taxes. School taxes would not be affected by the project whatsoever.
While this request is much higher than the amount requested in 2017 under a prior Board and Director, that ballot question failed in part due to a general recognition that it had not been fully thought through. Meacham notes that it did not include a full estimate for construction costs or appropriate operating costs. The 2022 amount takes into account recent inflation and includes everything, down to a microwave for the staff room. The requested increase is sufficient for debt service as well as proper operation of the Town’s new library through at least 2033.
The new library facility would include: up-to-date meeting rooms available for free use by local community groups; a dedicated safe, supervised space for tweens and teens; outdoor learning spaces; a local history archive; an early literacy space for children 0-6 and their families; quiet study rooms for remote work, tutoring sessions, study groups, and small meetings; ample parking; ADA accessibility; and a hands-on learning programming room.
Final purchase and renovation of the building is contingent upon funding approved through a public vote. The first step is collecting enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. The petition for signatures will be circulated in Stony Point by town residents throughout July. After qualifying, a funding referendum will be placed before the Stony Point voters on November 8, 2022.
For more information and to keep up with all the details on this project, please visit https://www.rosememoriallibrary.org/petition/.