The new library smear campaign

[Anonymous 123]

You know things are getting noxious when the Cranbury Public Library displays a large property chart of just exactly who in town has pledged money towards the new library campaign and by default, who hasn't. What started out as a public opinion survey several years ago has been slowly transformed into some residents dream of what Cranbury needs. A bulleted list has been assembled supporting the dream, a campaign has been launched, beautiful display boards have been created and now public humiliation has become the weapon of mass destruction so we all yield to the dream. Is the dream wrong ? No. Is disregarding the quietly dissenting residents wrong? No, not necessarily that's how the world usually works. The quietly dissenting residents may feel that Cranbury doesn't need a new library especially now in the digital age. We like to go to the beautiful libraries in Monroe and Plainsboro and yes we like our small friendly Cranbury library just the way it is. We like our smaller county and local tax bill, much smaller than our neighboring communities. Maybe that's why we moved here. We like the wide open vista next to the parking lot and we also may not like the jungle of new trees and bushes that are being planted on those vistas, a few other well meaning peoples idea of what is necessary. When some residents marketed idea of what's needed in our town becomes an ugly display of pettiness its time for the quietly dissenting "others" to say something. There won't be a donation from this resident, I don't see the need for a beautiful new library with public meeting rooms and please stop planting the dead free trees on every beautiful empty space we have left, your making a mess and a lot of us "other sneeches without stars" may like the town simpler, smaller and less expensive. Thank you for respecting my opinion too neighbor.

[anon;34-2q17]

I haven't seen this new chart but if that is what you say-and I don't doubt that it is-I'm done with these folks. Where is this chart? Many people feel this is an extravagant waste of money for a select few, paid for by many people who do not feel that we need a new Taj Mahal Library that will cost us in perpituity.This is just another way to shove this down out throats without any chance to have a fair say on what we spend.
A very sad day for us. Shame on them!

[anon-921r]

Not a fan. But, it's a private entity (foundation, not library) raising money. I've seen maps like this for other charities and never paid it much mind. If I donate I am not doing so for my neighborhood and those donating in my neighborhood are not doing so for me.

For those strongly opposed you now have a map telling you where you need to talk to friends (high donation areas) about why not to support a library. So you should thank the library. As you know low donation areas aren't an issue for your cause.

Other than those already opposed I don't see a map making much difference.

[anon-0101]

Will the new library increase my already high property tax?

My property tax has increased from ~$8,000 in 2002 to ~$14,000 this year.

[amer46-1osn]

As a community we need to be forward thinking. A new library is both costly and unnecessary for many reasons.

1. Cranbury school is losing about 40 students per year. That translates to about 8% of its population. Some say the library should not have pulbic access, so it that "claim" is really true then the school should have extra rooms (due to decreasing enrollment) to house books and computers that are not accessible to the general public.

2. Has anyone ever done to the library during hours that are not right after school or rec camp? The library is empty. There are more people working there than patrons using the facility. The library is being used basically for free day care after school during the school year and after rec camp during the summer.

3. We are living in economic times where we should be consolidaing library services. We have state of the art libraries in Plainsboro and Monroe (which are actually closer to the homes of many Cranbury residents) Princeton library and Firestone library are near the Princeton HS (where our high school students already go) Did we tear down the Cranbury school when it needed repairs/renovations? Building a new library would make the school bigger when it has less kids every year because the older grades are bigger than the lower grades.

4. Technology - internet access is everywhere. This is Cranbury, virtually every person from 4th graders on has a smart phone, tablet, or computer that allows them access to the internet. Most have all three devices. The costs of replacing books and materials is very expensive and a small community of less than 5000 cannot bear the burden of a second library building. It also takes away from open space and will make our town look crowded while creating more traffic issues. The community is wealthy enough for parents to provide recreational activities to their own kids. Community centers/libraries are usually found in poorer rural communities in which people do not have the means to provide entertainment or child care services.

5. As for the sign outside the library, lets boycott any business that supports this fiscally irresponsible, unnecessary, and technologically backwards idea. The costs of maintaining this building will only skyrocket in the years looking forward and add another tax burden to Cranbury residents. We all know that higher taxes equate to lower property values.

6. Lets band together and stop this nonsense before it becomes a reality we all don't need. Amazon.com is a great place for anyone who needs a book that is current and they deliver in one day. Let's think forward and not put Cranbury in reverse.

[anon-ssr1]

There are many posts that are incorrect. If you object to the library, it is best to know the facts.
The new library will not increase taxes. The capital campaign will raise the money for the building. The municipal library can run on the funding it gets through our taxes - 1-2% of your tax bill. Take a look.

[anon-ssr1]

1). Lower grades in Cranbury School are increasing. New families are moving in.
2). When I go to the library, it is busy. The library collects statistics. The numbers don't lie - many people visit.
3). We are not tax payers in Plainsboro or Monroe. We can use these libraries as a courtesy because we have a library and those libraries are in Middlesex county. Princeton Public does not allow our HS students to borrow anything. They can hang out. Firestone Library is not open to the public. The current library space will become the school library.
4). Yes, technology! Libraries have this, too. I personally still love to read books, but also take movies out of the library, too...
Is Princeton poor? There is a great example of a thriving library, but that is not our community.

[anon-1osn]

anon: You are entitled to your opinion, not the facts.
1. Lower grades in Cranbury are 30-40 kids, higher grades are 70-80 kids. 70-80 is greater than 30-40 last time I checked.

2. You must visit the library from 3-6 pm school days or after rec camp during the summer. It is never busy any other time.

3. Plainsboro and Monroe are much bigger towns, and like you said we can use those libraries. Therefore we should continue to make use of those libraries that are already in operation. Should we build a high school or a hospital in Cranbury also? Princeton HS has a library for students grades 9-12. Princeton and Plainsboro have hospitals and libraries and high schools because they have more people. Simple.

4. Build a library to take out movies? Ever hear of Amazon prime, netflix, or comcast on demand? We have entered the 21st century in case you haven't noticed.

5. Princeton is not poor, however the population is 30,000 not 5,000. We send our kids 30 each way to school every day, we can't drive 5 minutes to a library once in a while?

6. Our community thrives by having a good school system, small town feel, safe place to raise kids. Thriving does not mean spending countless money on unnecessary public projects. If you are unhappy with our community, maybe you should consider leaving.

Hopefully, rational thinking will prevail and we can keep the library that continues to serve the community well.

[anon-0o99]

The new library will not increase taxes. The library can run on the 1/3 mil appropriation (NJ law when you have a municipal library which we do).
The money being raised is for the building.
So, if you don't support it, don't donate.

[amer46-534r]

The new library will increase taxes. All municipal projects cost tax money. Police, schools, fire departments are all funded by state and local taxes. The money being collected pays for the BUILDING only.

Once this is built who is going to pay for
Books?
Computers?
Electricity?
Heating?
Roofs?
Plumbing?
Magazines?
Carpet?
Staffing?

Taxpayers, wake up and smell the coffee. The building is just the tip of the iceberg.
Once it is done, they will jam this debacle down the throats of the taxpayer.

If it is so popular, why not make it a membership only facility? Build it and maintain it with YOUR $$$$$ not ours. The costs to maintain this will far exceed the cost of production. It is both unfair and selfish to ask retired people on fixed incomes to pay for frivolous projects. This is Cranbury, not a big town or city.

[anon-97on]

Wow, this topic has generated a lot of mis-information and partial truths.

Full disclosure. I am neutral on the library. Have not donated, do not believe it should be paid for with public money and don't think we need it. But not opposed to private efforts to raise the money and build it by those who favor it.

That said:

1) Some of the posters don’t seem to understand how the library funding works. By state law, a minimum portion of our municipal property taxes must go to fund the library. Cranbury consistently has funded, in recent history, with the minimum allowed by law. So for the poster who claimed that it will cost us more taxes for books, etc., that’s simply not true. As it stands, the library has a far larger collection than they even have room to display and the state-mandated minimum funding generates a significant annual surplus. So even if you are against the library in the digital age, Cranbury has no legal choice to withhold the level of funding it currently provides.

2) On the other hand, there were a couple of half-truths by supporters about it all being privately funded. About half of the money they consider to have collected to date toward the new building is actually assuming the use of the surplus they have built up from the annual tax revenues they receive. So it would be partially publically funded, so to speak, but with money that is legally earmarked for the library. Secondly, while there hope is to fully collect private donations, plus additional surplus, to pay for the new library, and while the existing state-mandated funding is enough to cover annual operating costs of the new facility, it’s not clear that the state funding will be enough to permanently maintain the new facility from a capital maintenance and improvement perspective. Do they have enough annual surplus in the operating budget after they open the new building to fund a long term reserve fund to cover future roof repairs, HVAC replacement, etc.

3) Additionally, it’s taken them 4+ years to get about half the money they currently estimate they need for the new building, and that includes a surplus they have been building up for many years before that. It’s a poorly-kept secret that many supporters of the project, who are quick to say it’s being privately funded as a defense against detractors now, fully hope that if they raise sufficient funds they Township will ultimately step in to close the gap. Otherwise it may be another decade or more before they raise enough money unless they secure a “whale” donator.

4) Even if the entire physical library is covered by private donation and the surplus, it’s also another open secret that the project really needs the extension of the parking lot and road to Park Place, as outlined in the Master Plan, to be effective. And that is not contemplated in the fundraising amount. Supporters will say they don’t need it to build the library, despite most of the renderings showing it. But anyone who has spent any time at that parking lot on a school day knows it will be a quagmire without the Park Place extension and additional parking. Their secret expectation is the Township, prompted by the new building, prioritizes that project. All that said, it’s actually a reasonable primary, new library or not.

5) It needs to be understood they only have Concept Drawings at this point in coming up with their $3.xMM cost estimate. Those haven’t been fully drafted or bid. The actual cost could be materially greater.

6) As for the argument about school enrollment, it’s silly to look at the middle school grades and compare to the lower grades as say enrollment is going down. The other poster was correct, the youngest grades enrollment is up from the higher-primary school grades, and those grades are gaining students every year too. All that happened was a predictable halo effect of the housing market recession. When prices went down, empty-nesters stopped selling so fewer young families moved in. Now that housing has started to recover, sales have increased again and enrollment is trending up.

[anon-0o99]

This post was started as a smear campaign against the library. I support open debate, but this is just mean spirited.

*There is no chart; there is a map with green dots. You can see this in the library.
*School enrollment is up.
*Our taxes will not increase due to the building the new library.
*Heard recently that the foundation received a large donation of $300,000.00 and they now have about 1.9 million dollars. Amazing when you consider the recent recession.
*All public libraries in the US are showing increased usage according to the American Library Association.

I think we should be thankful that some people in town are spearheading this project.

[amer46-6538]

School enrollment among students is not up. The staff enrollment is probably up however, student enrollment has drastically fallen over the last 5 years. Not sure where you guys manufacture your numbers from. Last years grade 8 had OVER 70 students. The incoming kindergarten has 32 students. Simple math.

Taxes will increase after the building is done. What public project does not result in higher taxes? State was recently downgraded by standard and poors citing budget issues. Everyone knows that ALL costs for a 2nd library building will fall on the backs of the taxpayers. NJ is already $275 million short of what they thought they had. Here is the article from the Newark Star Ledger on 9/10/14.

Here's the proof.................
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/09/citing_christies_pension_payment_cuts_and_budget_problems_sp_downgrades_nj_debt_rating.html

The recession is not just recent, it is also current. The state continues to struggle just to meet its necessary obligations. At the present time, we should be looking to consolidate and save money, not just spend OTHER peoples money on frivolous pet projects. If times were great and money grew on trees, your idea would have some merit. Considering the current state of the economy, the close location of two libraries, and the current trend of technology, a new library is just another bad idea with no merit. The question remains what would a new library offer that the current one does not? Meeting rooms are present throughout the town. No meeting gets cancelled because of lack of space. We can continue to provide the all same programs in the current library. The new library will serve no purpose except give all residents another added expense.

The American Library Association says that ALL libraries are showing increased usage. I'm sure that is totally unbiased fact based data. Cranbury school students hardly ever use the library for educational purposes as they have access to up to date relevant information at their fingertips either at home or through mobile devices. This is 2014 not 1974.

Instead of debating this on the forum, lets get debates set up in person, and put this issue to vote. Let's not jam another tax increase down the throats of an already over burdened population.

[publius-4n9n]

Go to Princeton lib. They only spent 18 million and they have coffee and cookies there too.

[anon-q1o9]

amer46-6538

This week is an upcoming event at the school:

Join us for a New Library Q&A!

Tuesday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. in the Cranbury School Large Group Room

View the drawings, meet the architect, and ask questions. The Library Board will present the latest drawings of the new community library. The architect, Anthony Iovino, will also be present to discuss the project. The public is invited to ask questions and share their comments.

[anon-q1o9]