After nearly three months of public input and the defeat of a referendum that would have dissolved the district, Woodstock Library trustees declared Architect Stephen Tilly’s proposal the winner of the design competition for a new building.
Woodstock Library Trustees have entered a period of listening and reconciliation following the 2-1 defeat of a referendum that, if passed, would have dissolved and terminated the form of governance that has operated the Woodstock Public Library since 1989.
A proposal to dissolve and terminate the Woodstock Public Library District went down in resounding defeat Tuesday, giving trustees and staff a feeling as if a big weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
The Nov. 6 ballot in Woodstock will include a referendum to dissolve the library district. Here, proponents for and against make their case in their own words.
Regardless of which side wins, it’s not likely anything will get done soon to improve the physical working conditions of the building. And that’s a damned shame.
Why is there a referendum on the ballot to dissolve the Woodstock Library District? What would happen if it passed? A summary of the issue.
Woodstock Library Trustees indefinitely delayed choosing an architect to complete the design for a new building and re-submitted a measure calling for a referendum to the board of elections on dissolving the library district amid confusion about whose responsibility it was to handle.
A public input forum on the Woodstock Library’s building options drew many familiar faces on both sides of the issue, with opponents of the Library’s plan to construct a new building apparently seeking to dominate the discussion.
The Woodstock Library budget passed overwhelmingly in September 6 balloting, by a margin of 511-166.
The three architects chosen as finalists presented to library trustees and the public their proposals for a new Woodstock Library facility with cost projections ranging from about $4.9 million to $7.2 million.