Fundraising Never Tasted So Good!

Please Note:  The cake offer is no longer available but please stock up on the coffee!
 



The Friends of the Orange Public Libraries are running two fundraising campaigns that promise to help your mornings get off to a delicious and energetic start while you are supporting your local libraries.

The first fundraising campaign is in its final week – orders must be in by this Friday for the delicious, locally-made delicious Boston Tea Cakes. Tea Cakes offered are: Sour Cream & Cinnamon, Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry, Chocolate Ecstasy, Cranberry Cream, Lotsa Lemon and Pumpkin Cream. Each cake freezes well, is 1.5 lbs serves 8-10 and sells for $12.00.  Whether you are visiting, need a holiday thank you gift or are entertaining at home, one of these delicious gourmet cakes is welcomed by all. If you own a business or are a corporate sponsor, please consider one of these cakes as a gift to your clients and make them aware that you support the Orange Public Libraries’ programs.

Please contact Maria Bull, Co- President and Fundraising Coordinator or any Friends of the OPLs member for more information or to place your order.  You may also order by phone: 978/544-5456 or via email to: mariambull@yahoo.com. If emailing your order please provide your name, home address, telephone number, which cake(s) you wish to purchase and your payment can be sent c/o Maria Bull 235 Dana Road, Orange, MA 01364.  Checks should be made payable to Friends of the Orange Public Libraries. Orders can be placed until Friday, December 17th. Cakes will be at the library or available for delivery beginning on Monday, December 20th --just in time for the holidays!

Second, we are partnering with Dean’s Beans Coffee to offer their delicious medium and dark roast coffees at $9/lb., (available in decaf, too at $10/lb.), hot chocolate ($6/12 oz. bag), and “Java Drops,” milk chocolate or dark chocolate-covered espresso beans ($8.50/lb. bag).

These are available at both library branches and should be a real help to you as now you can buy the best coffee in town on Saturdays or at night, as the Wheeler Memorial Library is open until 8PM on Wednesday s and Thursday and the Moore-Leland branch in North Orange is open until 6PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Please help us to continue supporting many of the excellent programs offered by the Orange Public Libraries in Orange, MA. Your support is needed to make this fundraiser a great success!

Friends Meeting 12/13/2010

The December meeting of the Friends of the Orange Public Libraries will take place Monday, December 13, 2010 at the Wheeler Memorial Library.  The meeting will commence at 7:00 p.m. Items on the agenda include fundraising, holiday refreshments, and plans for library improvements.  Please consider attending.

Don't Miss It!

Please Come Out for Town Meeting Monday Night at 7 p.m.

Your attendance at tomorrow night's Town Meeting is crucial for protecting the victories we worked so hard to achieve.  Please be there and be ready to defend our town services.

A note on question 4 (clerical employees):  The defeat of question 4 was by the narrowest margin of the four questions.  The question itself was (paraphrasing here): "Do you want to increase taxes to keep these positions?".  The question was not simply do you want these positions to be retained.  Now that questions 1, 2, and 3 passed, the finance committee is now able to propose a budget that retains those positions, without raising our taxes.  I do not feel this proposal goes against the voters wishes, because I believe if the question had been--Should we keep these positions if we can do it without increasing taxes--it would have passed.  Let's not inflict financial hardship on these individuals and add to the numbers of unemployed in Orange.

We Won!

Questions 1 (Library), 2 (Transfer Station/Street Lights), and 3 (Council on Aging) passed about 1200 to 800! Question 4 was defeated 900 to 1100.  So, a GREAT VICTORY! Thanks so much to everyone who helped save our town! Remember... to turn out next Monday to protect our interests ar Town Meeting

Seize the Day!

Today is the day to go to the Armory between 10:00 and 8:00 and cast your vote to save the Library, the Transfer Station, the Council on Aging,  Town employees, and the future of the Town of Orange.  If you care about books and reading, the environment, safe streets, responsive government, senior citizens, and passing on a positive community to our children-- please Vote Yes on all four questions!

ABC40 News Coverage with Video!

Story and TV interviews from June 11th .  Reporter Jim Cline interviews Candace Cross, Michelle Bezio, Hailey and Robin Andrews, and Walt Owens on camera.

What the Town Could Lose

The amount on the override question is the minimum amount required to meet state standards. If Orange does not meet those standards we would be de-certified. The consequences of de-certification are severe. We would have to return about $35,000 in planning and design grant funds that we currently have. We would be ineligible to receive a $7,500 grant for children's programming that we are on track to receive. We would be ineligible for state construction money that could pay 50% or more (potentially several million dollars) of the cost of a library expansion or new building. Making the Wheeler Library handicapped accessible would be dealt a potentially fatal blow.

And, most visibly, our patrons would lose their ability to request books from other libraries, as well as their right to use other area libraries. A library, once de-certified, must meet state standards for one complete fiscal year before it can apply to be re-certified. Therefore, if we lose certification, it could be almost 2 years before we could get it back. There is a waiver process that might allow a lower level of funding on a temporary basis, but one of the requirements for a waiver is that the library's budget must not have been cut disproportionately to other town departments. So, if the library's budget was cut more than the other town departments, we could not qualify for a waiver. Please share this information so that voters are more fully informed of the consequences facing the library and the town.

Become a Precinct Captain!

Peter Cross has the voter registration list. He is hoping people will become Voter Captains, which means that a person will be responsible for getting at least 20 voters to commit to voting YES on June 14. He will mark off who we get to commit, and that way, we will not keep pestering the people who have already committed. To get in touch with Peter regarding becoming a Captain or to let him know who has said they’d vote YES, you can email him at: pcross@mass.rr.com
or call 978-544-7336.

From Peter:
I'm trying to generate list of 40 "voting captains," each one of whom can contact 20 other people to support the ballot questions. If the math works, we'll have the 800 votes we need to overcome the 600 people who always vote no on such things, with a little extra cushion just in case. So far I have gotten 13 such "captains" to agree, and I have a list of 40 more people to ask, so if 27 of them agree, we'll have the total of 40 that we need. So, I'm going to try to spend some time art the meeting going over the voting list with captains who are present, so we can establish who is on whose list and we don't duplicate. I can do that away from the main meeting if there needs to be discussion of other issues.

Secondly, are you interested in being one of these "captains?" You can start by just talking to people you know. We don't plan to force lists on people. Candy and I are both serving in this capacity. We're trying for 40 names, and we have 24 already. We're just planning to call them once or twice to remind them to vote. Probably the last call will be the night before the election. The idea is not to argue with people who are opposed. It will take too long. We're just trying to get to the polls the people who will support this effort.

Top Myths about the Overrides

MYTH 1: If I don’t use the library or the transfer station, or the COA, it won’t hurt me if they close.

THE FACTS: Libraries level the playing field. We have a growing income inequity in America; the gap between the richest and poorest citizens gets wider every year. By making all its resources equally available to all members of its community, regardless of income, class, or other factors, the library levels the playing field. This strengthens the whole community and improves living conditions for us all. The closing of the Transfer Station could increase the likelihood of roadside dumping and reduce the opportunities for recycling.  The Town would risk environmental degradation.  The loss of streetlights could allow crime to increase and the reduction in town employees would most likely result in shorter hours of operation and longer waits for town services.  Seniors who rely on the Council on Aging would have to find help, if available, elsewhere.

MYTH 2: I can just use the Athol Library.

THE FACTS: Orange residents would not be able to borrow materials from Athol and most other area libraries.  According to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, when a town’s public library is not certified because of closing or not meeting standards:

1. The noncertified municipality and its library will not receive any State Aid to Public Libraries monies (M.G.L. c.78, s.19A).

2. Libraries in certified municipalities are not required to lend library materials to the library in the noncertified municipality (605 CMR 4.01 (6a)).

3. Libraries in certified municipalities are not required to extend reciprocal library services, beyond in-library use of their materials, to residents of the noncertified municipality (605 CMR 4.01 (6b)).

4. The library will not receive support through the Small Libraries in Networks Program.

5. The municipality is not eligible to apply for funds under the Public Library Construction Program (605 CMR 6.05 (1)(c)), and any existing grant will be invalidated because the library must maintain eligibility throughout the construction process in order to receive grant funds (605 CMR 6.09(7)(b)).

6. The library will not be eligible to apply for grants under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) program.

MYTH 3: The override is irreversible.

THE FACTS: It's true that unlike a debt exclusion, the override won't automatically end.  However it is not true that the increase once passed must continue forever.  If the override passes, there are a couple of ways it would be reversible; First, the town meeting could vote not to appropriate the money, either this year or in a future year. There is no requirement that Town Meeting pass a budget that raises taxes up to the limit of what is authorized by the override. Also, there is a process called an underride, where in future years town citizens could vote in a special election to reverse the override in a similar way to which it was passed. Details below from the Mass general laws:

In a city or town, if a majority of the local appropriating authority or the people by local initiative procedure shall so require, there shall be a special election called in order to submit a question to the voters as to whether said city or town should be required to assess taxes by a specified amount below that amount allowed pursuant to this section. The question submitted to the voters shall be worded as follows:--

  "Shall the (city/town) of _____ be required to reduce the amount of real estate and personal property taxes to be assessed for the fiscal year beginning July first, nineteen hundred and _____ by an amount equal to $_____?

YES_____ NO_____''.

  If a majority of the persons voting on the question shall vote "yes'', the limit on total taxes assessed shall be decreased to the percentage so voted for that fiscal year.

MYTH 4: People can just use Mahar’s library.

THE FACTS:  Mahar’s library is designed to support the education of Mahar’s students.  They do not have materials for the general public.  Their library is not accessible to the public during school hours due to security concerns, and the library is not staffed other times.  They have neither the materials nor the staff to serve non-Mahar younger children, families, or senior citizens.

MYTH 5: The Town could use the override money for something else

THE FACTS: For Fiscal Year 2011, the Town could only collect and appropriate the revenues authorized by the override for the purpose stated in the election ballot question.  Other uses would not be permitted by law.

MYTH 6: The cost of the override would be greater than what I would have to pay for alternative services.

THE FACTS: The cost of private trash hauling equals or exceeds the average cost of all 4 override questions. It costs less to vote yes!  Indirect environmental costs would occur, but are difficult to quantify.  The most recent return on investment figures show that the Orange Public Libraries deliver $1.3 million is services to the Town per year.  Per capita, that is roughly $167 return on an proposed investment of $33.62.  That's less than the cost of two hardback books!

MYTH 7:  The library would get a big budget increase as a result of the override.

THE FACTS: The 2009 Annual Town Meeting approved a library budget of slightly over $280,000 for Fiscal Year 2010.  This was reduced at a subsequent Special Town Meeting when the Town's financial crisis became more apparent.  The amount on the override question id $262,230.00.  This would represent a 7% reduction from our original 2010 budget, and less than a 2% increase over  the current reduced budget.  The amount requested is also the bare minimum required to meet state requirements to receive state certification and state aid.

The Override Election

·What is the crisis?   The Town of Orange is facing a budget deficit of more than $700,000 for fiscal year 2011.  Revenues are down from the state and projected expenses far exceed any reasonable estimate of income the Town will receive.

·What is the Finance Committee proposing?  The Finance has recommended and the Selectmen have approved holding a special election that will offer four ballot questions to the voters.  If the override questions do not pass, some Town services will be sharply cut back or eliminated.  In the case of the Library, all library employees would be laid off, and the libraries would be closed.  One way or another, the budget would be balanced, as required by law.

·When is the election? The special election is June 14, 2010 from 10:00am to 8:00 pm at the Armory.

·What are the other questions on the ballot?  There are three other questions on the ballot.  These include whether to lay off part time clerical staff (and reduce hours for some full time staff) at Town Hall and certain other departments, whether to close the Transfer Station and turn off streetlights, and whether to fund the Council on Aging.

·What is at risk?  For the Library, all library operations would cease shortly after July 1, 2010.  Both libraries would close.  All library employees would be permanently laid off.  There would be no library programs, circulation of materials, or access to facilities.  Because Orange would not be financially supporting its own library, Town residents would not be welcome to use other area libraries.

·How much will the override cost me as a taxpayer?  The Library override question would, if passed, add 49 cents tax per $1000.00 of assessed valuation to property tax payers.  On a $150,000 home, the increase would be $18.38 per quarter.

·What Town decision makers are involved?  The Finance Committee, the Selectmen, and the Town Administrator have crafted this approach to balancing the Town Budget.

·How do I contact the Finance Committee, the Selectmen, and the Town Administrator?  All of the previous may be contacted through Town Hall at 978-544-1100 or in person at 6 Prospect Street.

·What can I do to to influence the outcome of all this?  Exercise your Right to Vote and determine what the future of Orange will be.

·What could happen at Town Meeting?    Town Meeting could change the Town Budget for next year in any way it sees fit, regardless of the override or the proposal from the Finance Committee. The only exception to the above is that the revenue authorized by the override could not be used for anything other than the purpose stated in the ballot question.  If the override funds were not appropriated by Town meeting for those specific purposes, the revenue could not be collected by the Town.

Considerations about the Library

The public library in Orange, one of the very first in the nation, has existed since at least 1857.  Through good times and bad, the Civil War, the Depression, and both World Wars, the Town of Orange has supported and benefited from the Library.  Are the times more dire today than any we have endured in the past 150 years?

The Library has had incredible private support from Town residents over the years.  Both Library buildings were given to the community.  Many individual have donated resources to enhance library services to Town residents, not because we didn’t have a Library, but because they wanted the Library to improve or expand.  Is the Town ready to betray the trust of those donors that the Town would continue to provide basic support to the Library for its day to day operations?

The Library has been a good “citizen” as a department of the Town.  We have given back money to the Town when requested.  For many years we presented bare bones budgets in recognition of the Town’s difficult situation.  We replaced the Library heating system at a cost of more than $100,000 and did not ask the Town for a dime. We have used grants, state aid, and private donations to fund anything other than the most basic of services.  This year at least 25% of the Library’s expenditures will come from non-Town revenue.  The library has pursued the course because the trustees believe library services are essential, especially during hard economic times.  Eliminating the library during a recession is like closing the hospital during a plague.  Many Town residents enjoy and depend on its services.

The Library has provided documentation to the Finance Committee and the Selectmen that for every $1.00 spent by the Town, residents receive $4.50 in services.  The Town contributes just over $250,000 and receives more than $1,000,000 in benefits.  These figures include only the benefits that are easily measured.  When someone comes to the Library and prepares a resume, does a job search and becomes employed, the Town benefits from increased tax revenues, lower social service costs, and from having a productive citizen.  When a child gets a head start in school, because of their exposure to books and reading at the Library, and grows up to be happier, healthier, and better informed citizen, the Town benefits financially and otherwise.  When a senior citizen on a fixed income finds information, education, and recreation at the Library, is that not important?  Name another town department where Orange residents can go and recoup their tax investment in one visit, with no fee- license- permit- bill or unfortunate incident (fire or crime) involved.  If good government is about efficiency, getting the most bang for the taxpayer buck, promoting a more informed and productive community – the Library is one of our proudest achievements!

Library Talking Points

• The overide question is for the entire amount needed from the Town to operate.
• The amount on the override is the bare minimum to meet state requirements. 
• Without the overide, no money would be allocated to support the Library.
• Without the passage of the override, both libraries in Town would close in July.
  
• The libraries have a collection of 55,000 items that will go unused. 
• There are 4,000 persons in Town with library cards that will not have access to a library.  
• The library had a total of more than 42,000 patron visits last year.
• The library's programs for children will cease, which last year had a total attendance of  over 3,000  children.
• Town residents will not have access to free library computers.
• Town residents will not be able to borrow materials from other area libraries.
• The Town of Orange will no longer receive $5.10 in services for every $1.00 spent on the library.
• Students will not have access to a library after school for homework.
• The Orange Library, in existence since 1857 and one of the first in the nation, will cease to exist.
• Your support is essential for our survival.

Important for Everyone to Know

From: Deb Blanchard

To: Athol Daily News

Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 3:46 PM

Subject: Letter to the editor

Dear Letter to the Editor

At a couple of recent events, several people approached me knowing that I am the director of the Athol Public Library and commented that if the override does not pass in June, that I would be seeing a lot more of them as they would now be using the Athol Library.  Unfortunately while they would be welcome to come into the library, they would not be able to check anything out or utilize any services such as interlibrary loan.  Perhaps a bit of historic background would help explain why this is so and to help people understand the impact should the Wheeler Library close.

In Massachusetts as communities were formed, services such as police, fire, public works and libraries were instituted through taxation of its citizens. In general, those services were for the use of the residents of that town only.   Libraries were no exception until the State Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) was formed under MGL Chapter 78 and began a wonderful tradition of sharing resources between libraries who met the standards established by the MBLC.  Meeting the minimum requirements allowed a library to be certified and privileges of this membership included receiving state grants, being part of the new interlibrary loan system and participating in training workshops.   In 1954, the Athol Trustees accepted the Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement that allowed residents of Athol, a certified library, to use their Athol card at any other certified library in Massachusetts and enabled other towns’ residents to use Athol.  It was a wonderful arrangement that saved towns money by not duplicating purchases and gave residents a convenient and flexible way to use libraries perhaps where they worked instead of where they lived.  

This system has worked so beautifully over time that people have to come believe that it is their right to be a member of any library in the Commonwealth.  When all libraries are funded properly and meet the certification standards, everyone enjoys the benefits.  The problem comes when people begin to believe that they can cease funding their libraries and instead utilize neighboring libraries funded through other’s taxpayer dollars.  This situation negates the reciprocal borrowing agreement because how can Athol residents use another library that is closed? 

This is not a case of one library deciding to refuse service to another to be mean; it is a case of one town choosing not honor the agreement to share resources.  I can’t imagine that a town would agree to share police, fire or public works services and then decide to eliminate those services and expect the neighboring towns to just take over plowing their streets or policing their town without compensation.  Doing that would stretch or make unavailable the resources to the taxpayers funding those services in their own town. It is no different for the library.

The bottom line is that if the taxpayers of Orange decide to not fund their library and step away from the reciprocal borrowing agreement and certification (closing a library is an automatic decertification), the Trustees of the Athol Public Library will have no choice but to follow their policy and deny borrowing privileges to any Orange resident.

We currently have about 2,300 Orange residents registered at the Athol Library who borrowed approximately 14,658 items last year.  They would no longer be able to borrow and we could not accept new users.  This would make all us, staff and patrons alike, very unhappy.  The current system of sharing resources is the best bang for your taxpayer buck you’ll ever see for the small amount of the total town budget that the library is.

Debra Blanchard, Director Athol Public Library

Register Today!

Today is the last day to register to vote in the June 14th special election. The Town Clerk's office will be open until 8pm to register last minute voters. Please encourage your friends and family to register if they have not. Please remember "it costs less to vote yes" and "save our town"!

Channel 22 News Coverage

Video of press coverage arranged by Michelle Bezio

Save the Orange Public Libraries!

Make sure you are counted! In order to vote in the special election on June 14th, you must be registered 20 days before all primaries and elections. Therefore, you must register by May 25th. Please make sure everyone you know is registered and plans on voting! Note: the May 25th probably does not allow enough time... for mail-ins. Citizens should register at Town Hall. Also, please check out our Facebook page here .

The Library Override Question

What is the crisis? The Town of Orange is facing a budget deficit of more than $700,000 for fiscal year 2011. Revenues are down from the state and projected expenses far exceed any reasonable estimate of income the Town will receive.

What is the Finance Committee proposing? The Finance has recommended and the Selectmen have approved holding a special election that will offer four ballot questions to the voters. If the override questions do not pass, some Town services will be sharply cut back or eliminated. In the case of the Library, all library employees would be laid off, and the libraries would be closed. One way or another, the budget would be balanced, as required by law.

When is the election? The special election is June 14, 2010 from 10:00am to 8:00 pm at the Armory.

What are the other questions on the ballot? There are three other questions on the ballot. These include whether to lay off part time clerical staff (and reduce hours for some full time staff) at Town Hall and certain other departments, whether to close the Transfer Station and turn off streetlights, and whether to fund the Council on Aging.

What is at risk? For the Library, all library operations would cease shortly after July 1, 2010. Both libraries would close. All library employees would be permanently laid off. There would be no library programs, circulation of materials, or access to facilities. Because Orange would not be financially supporting its own library, Town residents would not be welcome to use other area libraries.

How much will the override cost me as a taxpayer? The Library override question would, if passed, add 49 cents tax per $1000.00 of assessed valuation to property tax payers. On a $150,000 home, the increase would be $18.38 per quarter.

What Town decision makers are involved? The Finance Committee, the Selectmen, and the Town Administrator have crafted this approach to balancing the Town Budget.

How do I contact the Finance Committee, the Selectmen, and the Town Administrator? All of the previous may be contacted through Town Hall at 978-544-1100 or in person at 6 Prospect Street.

What can I do to to influence the outcome of all this? Exercise your Right to Vote and determine what the future of Orange will be.

Spring Events

On the Same Page Events -- Read Javatrekker by Dean Cycon and

Attend a Library Event

Dean Cycon will talk about his work with the coffee trade in Africa, Asia and South America on Wed., April 29th at the Orange Town Hall from 7-8:30. Get the inside "scoop" on the coffee trade and fair trade issues. Free Event with Refreshments.

Also there will be a discussion of the book -- Javatrekker on Monday, April 27th from 7-9 at Moore-Leland Library in N. Orange. Join with others for a discussion of the book, coffee tasting and other refreshments.

June Events
Monday, June 1 at 7 p.m. -- Annual Meeting of Friends at the Moore-Leland Library in North Orange.

Saturday, June 27th from 9 a.m - 12 noon -- Join us for our Annual Book Sale at the Wheeler Memorial Library. Come to the June 1st meeting to help with organizing this event.

Winter and Spring 2009

New Officers for 2009

• Co-presidents -- Natasha Widener and Maria Bull
• Secretary - Celia Hastings
• Treasurer - Lisa Bouchie

Up-coming Meetings of Friends -- Regular meetings at 7 p.m.

• Monday, February 2
• Monday, April 6
• Monday, June 1 (Annual Meeting)

Up-coming Events -- Watch for On the Same Page Activities in the Spring. The book for this year is JavaTrekker - Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee by Dean Cycon.

Books will be available for people at the library. There will be book discussions and special events to help us celebrate On the Same Page at the Orange Libraries again this year.