The recent letter by the chairman of the Rockport Library Committee cannot go unanswered.

The first reference is to a “contingent” of residents, a term selected to diminish the groundswell of opposition to the Library Committee’s plans, a term that blatantly and once again refuses to recognize the large numbers of people who at organized and professionally guided focus groups and surveys opposed moving the library and the small amount of people who attended later attempts to organize a Listening Tour, a not-so-veiled attempt by the committee to gain support for their unwanted agenda. 

A petition signed by more than 100 people has been sent to the town’s Select Board.  The mailing list of people who oppose the proposed move well exceeds that number.  So much for a contingent. 

According to the committee chairman: “There is no group meeting space, no quiet reading area, no manageable work space for librarians or storage area for extra chairs and tables.” 

What has been going on at the library all these years? Plenty of meetings, (I have met on average twice weekly with a group of eight to 12 people at the library), wonderful library events held across the street at the Opera House, 120 patrons a day, we’re told, people enjoying the Marine Room as a quiet place to read.  But there is no space for this.  Admittedly, the library staff could use more work space, another bathroom and there is room for all this and more at the current site.  And everyone wants to address that.

By the way,  many of us could walk into Rockport Library and make good decisions that would get rid of the “cramped, jammed” look without at all diminishing service to patrons.

People are “craving”  for more space.  Note the language again, language that increasingly damages the committee’s credibility and underscores the agenda they have been pursuing for quite awhile.  Asking people what they think the idea library should look like did not in any manner demonstrate a “craving.” Quite the contrary.

We are told again and again that the current building cannot be expanded. No solid, extensive professional report assessment or analysis has been done.  We were told the Maine Department of Environmental Protection would not allow expansion on current site.  Not true.  We were told zoning would not allow expansion. Not true. You are being told the “opposition” is trying to stop people from voting.  Not true. 

Opponents of the Library’s Committee’s relentless and stubborn campaign simply want to defer a vote until a better, more thorough and persuasive assessment can be completed regarding the current library site. “Block” and “defer” are not synonyms in anyone’s dictionary.  

One more thing.  At the June 14, 2014 Select Board meeting, it was stated that the committee was simply following the direction of a mandate in the town’s Comprehensive Plan and referred to only half of that mandate. Here is the complete mandate:

“Address long-term needs for increased shelf space, programming space, computer work space and parking by weighing cost and benefits of:

a) Expanding the library building and creating more parking at its current historic location in Rockport Village. The present building is widely admired for its architecture and landscaping. Zoning and traffic issues will need to be addressed.

b) Constructing a new facility on one of Rockport’s major routes. In a larger, more centrally located, conveniently accessible public space, Rockport residents could meet, interact and build the bonds of community” (Town of Rockport, Comprehensive Plan, p. 127).

Section “a” of the mandate is what a lot of people want to do and want a chance to vote on.

But that is being blocked every step of the way.

Yes, do address your comments by email to librarypublichearing@town.rockport.me.us. and then attend the August 5 public hearing and see if  your comments matter, especially if they oppose  the Library Committee’s agenda. 

Paul G. Charbonneau lives in Rockport.