Date: Fri 06-Feb-1998

By DOROTHY EVANS

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

Booth-Library-capital-donation

Full Text:

The Library's $200,000 Wish List For Capital Donations

BY DOROTHY EVANS

As a new budget cycle begins and town officials are deliberating over bottom

lines that include estimated costs of operating, staffing and maintaining the

new Cyrenius H. Booth Library during the 1998-99 budget year, the Library

Board of Trustees is looking at additional sources to answer current needs.

To be specific, they estimate it will cost $200,000 over and above any money

the library receives from the town to pay for furnishings and equipment that

will fully enhance the library's new 21,914 square feet, making the Cyrenius

H. Booth Library not only a repository for books but a total media center for

the entire community.

The capital campaign, therefore, is a one-time effort to obtain items which,

once they have been purchased, will be considered part of the library's

permanent inventory.

At the same time that the board is reaching out for donations to the corporate

community and to foundations in the Greater Danbury area, as well as to

private sources, it has published a list of the equipment and furnishing

objectives they have targeted.

These capital needs include the following:

Music room: Purchase of a computer with CD-ROM drive; a number of CD players

with headsets; and a CD collection including a minimum of ten CDs per

category.

Adult reading room: To restore the original reading room to its former state

as a comfortable area in which to read magazines and newspapers, the library

will need to purchase furniture and lamps.

Expanded computer facilities with Internet access: Computers, laser printers,

hubs, modems, towers and routers are needed to enable the system to adequately

handle the demands of a modern library. New computer facilities will be

required in virtually every department.

Audiovisual: Books on tape, videos, and CD-ROMs covering a wide range of

interests are needed on topics including gardening, home building, historical

summaries, SATs, resumes, classic and pop movies. Establishment of a

circulating CD-ROM collection is a priority for this area.

Young adult: There is a need to augment the young adult book collection; a

computer with CD-ROM and laser printer is needed.

Large print: Additional best sellers and non-fiction works are needed, as well

as additional furniture.

Art/quiet study: The John Angel Art Collection of sculpture and books is now

available to the public. However, furniture and computer hardware and software

are needed for this area. Two rooms will be available for quiet study and

furniture is needed for both.

Genealogy and local history: Founded in 1942 through the gift of the Julia

Brush collection, the genealogy section is well-known in Western Connecticut

and it receives heavy use. An American Genealogy Lending Library database is

needed as well as software and related equipment.

Children's library: A portable overhead video projector for use in story hour

and children's programs has been requested.

Meeting room: Additional audiovisual equipment is needed to serve community

groups that use the space, as well as a computer link and functional

equipment, such as a refrigerator.

Track And Field Teams Compete At Masuk

‘Color Our World With Hope’ Filled Newtown With Music, Meaning, And Community Impact

Nighthawk Baseball Team Beats Conference Opponents

Late Goal By Ruddy Lifts Nighthawk Lacrosse Team To Victory, Showcases Chemistry In Midfield

Reed Intermediate Presents Sold-Out Performances Of 'Willy Wonka Jr'

Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 06-Feb-1998

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