Resulting from Monday night’s public meeting about a search for a new Mason Square branch library, Kat Wright of the Mason Square Library Advisory Committee has made available three documents, and some additional comments, that may be of interest to people wanting to understand some of the history around the situation.
First is notes (Word doc) from a September 28, 2006 public forum, held in an auditorium at AIC, and hosted by the Mason Square Library Advisory Committee.
Second is a slideshow (PPT) outlining some of the major events leading up to current developments, also provided below.
Third is a May 25, 2006 letter (Word doc) sent to various people associated with the sale of the library; text additionally provided below.
Wright, who co-chairs the committee, provided a list of comments following up on the May letter, which she requested be published along with the letter itself. Those comments appear below, following the letter. I heartily welcome comments from others providing additional points of view.
Brief History of Mason Square Library, as presented September 28, 2006
1952 Annie G. Curran leaves money in her will to build and maintain a public library in Winchester Square
1955 New Winchester Square Library opens
1999 SLMA receives $550,000 public bond for MSL renovations
Oct. 18, 2001 Mason Square Library Grand Reopening
Fall 2002 Urban League and SLMA begin negotiations on sale of MSL building
Jan. 2003 Henry Thomas and David Starr meet privately with community leaders, tell them sale is irreversible
March 2003 City Council sets up Library Study Committee after SLMA reduces library hours
April 9, 2003 Morning: Joe Carvalho tells Library Advisory Board “the sale is not carved in stone”
April 9, 2003 Afternoon: Purchase and Sale Agreement is signed by SLMA executives
April 10, 2003 SLMA issues press release on sale
May 22, 2003 Henry Thomas advises City Council of sale
May 2003 Attorney General declines to intervene; says only mayor can challenge sale
July 2003 City takes over library system
Jan. 2004 Charles V. Ryan takes office as Mayor
March 2004 MSLAC established by five neighborhood councils surrounding Mason Square
April 2005 Mayor Ryan and City of Springfield file lawsuit against SLMA regarding sale of Mason Square Library
Letter from Mason Square Library Advisory Committee to 13 individuals
Mason Square Library Advisory Committee
Elizabeth Stevens CNM, MSN, MPH, Chair
256 Bay Street
Springfield, MA 01109
May 25, 2006
Dear [Persons named regarding sale of Mason Square Library]:
We, the Mason Square Library Advisory Committee, continue to be concerned about the loss of our beautiful branch library and the subsequent lack of a full-service library branch in our neighborhood. We are writing to you because you were among the few people contacted privately by David Starr and Henry Thomas when they were planning the sale of the Mason Square Branch Library by the Springfield Library & Museums Association to the Springfield Urban League.
David Starr had meetings with Marjorie and Rick Hurst, Arthur Jones, Marge Guess, Bud Williams and Ben Swan Sr.; Henry Thomas contacted Dora Robinson, Rev. Cordella Brown, Rev. J. Willard Cofield, Cherylyn Hatchett, Norma Baker, Jim Ward and Carol Aranjo. The information in this letter has been taken from the testimony under oath by David Starr, Henry Thomas and Joe Carvalho.
Mr. Starr and Mr. Thomas have admitted that Marge Guess, Art Jones, and Cheryl Hatchett were opposed to the sale. To Marge, Art, and Cherylyn, “We thank you for your opposition!”
Mr. Starr testified that the rest of you seemed to be accepting, if not in favor of the sale. Do you wish that you could go back in time and change your response and prevent that sale from happening?
We know that the decision to sell the Mason Square Branch Library was made in fall 2002. We know that, prior to the sale, David Starr and Henry Thomas went looking for a “blessing” from “community leaders” on their plans to sell the Mason Square Branch Library to the Urban League. We know they got that blessing from some of you.
We understand that Mr. Starr and Mr. Thomas, in approaching you, claimed that the city was planning to cut funds to the SLMA. We know, however, that the city’s plan to cut funding was announced in February 2003, four months after negotiations between the SLMA and the SUL were started.
We also know that Mr. Starr and Mr. Thomas claimed that the Mason Square Branch Library was going to be closed when library funds were cut. We know—and you should have known—that the Mason Square Branch Library was the only branch in the city library system that had a long-standing endowment that ensured its financial stability. Mason Square Library was, therefore, not on a list of branches to be closed. In fact, we have no evidence that such a list ever existed.
As representatives of the people who live in the Mason Square neighborhoods, [we] have some questions for those of you who voiced no opposition to the sale.
Do you think that before the deal was a “done deal” Henry Thomas should have gone to the 5 neighborhood councils around the Mason Square Branch Library with such an important issue?
Do you think that Henry Thomas ought to have been personally insulted by the offer to buy an institution of higher learning like a public library that was located in a neighborhood that needed it so much?
What are you willing to do to resolve this injustice?
We need a full service library in Mason Square, as we had before. We are planning a community forum on September 28, 2006 at which we can all discuss the loss of the library we had and begin to develop plans to restore it. We ask that you join us at our next meeting, June 29th, or contact us before then about your willingness to participate in this forum. Please join with us to find a way to restore our library. As a whole community, perhaps we can make this situation right?
The Mason Square Library Advisory Committee was established in 2003 by the five neighborhood councils around Mason Square, and represents some 25,000 residents of our community. We are all volunteers who live in the community. Our committee meets on the last Thursday of each month from 6-7 pm at the Mason Square Health Center.
Sincerely,
Mason Square Library Advisory Committee
Cc: Marjorie Hurst
Rick Hurst
Arthur Jones
Marge Guess
Bud Williams
Ben Swan Sr.
Dora Robinson
Rev. Cordella Brown
Rev. J. Willard Cofield
Cherylyn Hatchett
Norma Baker
Jim Ward
Carol Aranjo
Advisory Committee’s follow-up comments
The May 25 letter was sent to the 13 people David Starr and Henry Thomas testified that they met with regarding the sale of the library back in early 2003, in depositions taken by Patrick Markey in his capacity as City Solicitor last year.
Of these named persons:
? Only Marge Guess and Arthur Jones protested against the sale.
? Rev. Cordella Brown and Cherylyn Hatchett each stated in response to our letter that neither Mr. Starr nor Mr. Thomas ever met with them on this matter.
? Rep. Ben Swan Sr. told us that Mr. Starr and Mr. Thomas told him the sale was irreversible. This was before they had signed the purchase and sale agreement. But Rep. Swan said he told them it was a bad idea.
? Mr. and Mrs. Hurst responded to our letter in anger that we named them as being included but did not deny the meeting.
? After numerous attempts to reach them, we got no response in any way from [City Councilor] Bud Williams, Dora Robinson, Rev. Cofield, Norma Baker and Jim Ward.
? The only person we did not send the letter to was Carol Aranjo because we could find no address or contact information for her. We plan to send her a copy of the letter now, since she provided an address at the site selection committee meeting last Monday. (End comments)
An article in today’s Republican describes a few additional details emerging from the library site search committee meeting, and notes that the next one is coming up on Monday, January 22, 5:30 pm, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center at State and Rutland Streets (same location as before). These meetings are public, and are chaired by James Morton.
