Select Board presses library to cut $18.6M ask
Select Board · Meeting of September 28, 2026
Northbridge Select Board presses library trustees to trim an $18.6 million local ask. Architect Noel Murphy and project manager Dave Hurley presented a $31.9 million plan to renovate and expand the 1913 Whitinsville Social Library, with the state covering roughly 40 percent, or $12,497,000. Library Board of Trustees Chairman Carol Brower said the library already contributes "40 percent of the operating budget" from its roughly $8 million endowment plus a new $1.8 million Keeler family bequest.
One selectman called the overall price tag "a frightening number," noting the town recently built a $14.5 million senior center and a roughly $24 million fire station. The board also voted unanimously, following a 4-0 roll call to open and close the hearing, to lay out three Camelot Subdivision roads as public ways ahead of fall Town Meeting. No town-funding figure was set Monday; a two-thirds Town Meeting vote and a ballot question are expected in spring 2027.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,893 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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