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Cornish Library and Community Center

#1 · March 11, 2023, 11:00 am

The Cornish Democrats support the proposed move of the Stowell Library to the new Cornish Library and Community Center which would use the old "Cornish general store" building. There has been an unexpectedly high level of opposition to this incredible gift to the town. This thread is for all information about the project, reasons to support it, and debunking oppositional rhetoric.

The best repository of information is on the CCI website at https://cornishci.org/library/ which includes various reports, media, and FAQ items presenting the facts of the project.

#2 · March 11, 2023, 11:01 am

Submitted to the Valley News:

Cornish could use a heart transplant

A library is the heart of a town. It’s a place for all ages, young, teen, middle age, and old. It’s where everyone can gather to spend time together.

At present our library in Cornish is on life support and is not able to offer itself to everyone. There’s no water or sewer. There is no accessibility for those who can’t manage steep stairs into the existing building and down its stairs to the basement.

There’s no room for people to gather without blocking others from searching for books. And there’s inadequate parking. At our town meeting on March 18, we can make the choice to give our library a complete heart transplant or let the Stowell library continue to beat along on life support. The former Cornish Store is the heart transplant our library needs. It’s being offered with no price tag to the town: a gift of a renovated Library and Community Center. In contrast to the Stowell library, it will have room for more books, bathrooms, meeting spaces, a complete kitchen, computers, sufficient parking and agreen space for outdoors activities. It will be visible, spacious and inviting. A new, healthy heart for Cornish.

If we don’t vote yes to accept this heart transplant, the town will have to foot the bill to try to save the Stowell. Who knows when that will happen and at what cost?

The challenges of updating a 1910 structure to 21st century standards are formidable.

Vote yes for the new Cornish Library and Community Center. Give new life to the heart of our town.

MARCIA BROWN

Cornish

#3 · March 11, 2023, 11:02 am

Quote from admin on March 11, 2023, 11:02 am

‘Save our library’: Move it to former store

By GEORGE EDSON

For the Valley News

It has been suggested by some that we “save our store” when we really don’t have a store in Cornish Flat to save. Except for a short time, there has been no store in Cornish Flat for over 10 years.

I was a business broker for 17 years, dealing exclusively in the sale of small-town convenience stores. I sold over 150 of them. My business was very strong in the ’80s when such small-town stores were thriving. After the economic downturn of 1990, the picture changed as the viability of the business model changed, and most of the small stores could no longer survive. I could provide a long list of towns that no longer have a food store.

Now 20 years later the picture is even more drastic where very few towns still have the convenience of a small-town store. We in Cornish are very lucky to have the 12% Solution, the Meriden Deli Mart and Ann’s Country Convenience Store so close. There is certainly no way that a fourth store could survive in this small radius.

I suggest that the best way to “Save our Library” is to relocate it to the former Cornish Store building, which has so much to offer. It will provide more space, easy handicapped access, adequate parking, open grass area for local event use, a children’s area much larger than currently available, public meeting space with after-hours access, and kitchen facilities to add to the usefulness of the entire building.

Some years ago, I was considering the purchase of D’Amante’s Store in Claremont. Many of you remember the business. During the time I was contemplating the purchase, I drove by one day, and the thought occurred to me, that I had the opportunity to make an important life decision and if I decided against it, I didn’t want to drive by it for the next 40 years thinking of the opportunity that I passed up. I think this is the same situation. If we pass this up we will live to regret it.

I was at the meeting when the Meeting House was offered to the town. There were many people against the opportunity. They suggested that we didn’t need another building to maintain. I ask you, was that a good decision? Are we not in the same position today with the opportunity to add to what Cornish offers its citizens?

My last point is the social dynamic that the project will offer. I have lived in Cornish for 54 years. I drove past that store a lot of times. When I saw Harold Morse’s truck parked in front of the store, I put on my brakes, went in the store to sit with Harold, have a cup of coffee and chew the fat. I look forward to having the opportunity again to use the building as a social meeting place.

I urge you all to consider the facts and support the transition of the current library to the former Cornish Store building.

‘Save our library’: Move it to former store

By GEORGE EDSON

For the Valley News

It has been suggested by some that we “save our store” when we really don’t have a store in Cornish Flat to save. Except for a short time, there has been no store in Cornish Flat for over 10 years.

I was a business broker for 17 years, dealing exclusively in the sale of small-town convenience stores. I sold over 150 of them. My business was very strong in the ’80s when such small-town stores were thriving. After the economic downturn of 1990, the picture changed as the viability of the business model changed, and most of the small stores could no longer survive. I could provide a long list of towns that no longer have a food store.

Now 20 years later the picture is even more drastic where very few towns still have the convenience of a small-town store. We in Cornish are very lucky to have the 12% Solution, the Meriden Deli Mart and Ann’s Country Convenience Store so close. There is certainly no way that a fourth store could survive in this small radius.

I suggest that the best way to “Save our Library” is to relocate it to the former Cornish Store building, which has so much to offer. It will provide more space, easy handicapped access, adequate parking, open grass area for local event use, a children’s area much larger than currently available, public meeting space with after-hours access, and kitchen facilities to add to the usefulness of the entire building.

Some years ago, I was considering the purchase of D’Amante’s Store in Claremont. Many of you remember the business. During the time I was contemplating the purchase, I drove by one day, and the thought occurred to me, that I had the opportunity to make an important life decision and if I decided against it, I didn’t want to drive by it for the next 40 years thinking of the opportunity that I passed up. I think this is the same situation. If we pass this up we will live to regret it.

I was at the meeting when the Meeting House was offered to the town. There were many people against the opportunity. They suggested that we didn’t need another building to maintain. I ask you, was that a good decision? Are we not in the same position today with the opportunity to add to what Cornish offers its citizens?

My last point is the social dynamic that the project will offer. I have lived in Cornish for 54 years. I drove past that store a lot of times. When I saw Harold Morse’s truck parked in front of the store, I put on my brakes, went in the store to sit with Harold, have a cup of coffee and chew the fat. I look forward to having the opportunity again to use the building as a social meeting place.

I urge you all to consider the facts and support the transition of the current library to the former Cornish Store building.

#4 · March 11, 2023, 11:56 am

Community created video in support of the new Library

#5 · March 11, 2023, 12:00 pm

#6 · March 11, 2023, 12:46 pm

Quote from admin on March 11, 2023, 12:46 pm
A group of unknown individuals have spent a decent amount of time and money creating signs and flyers to oppose the Library move. This includes a website for Save the Stowell.

One of the most curious oppositional pieces on that website basically sums up to "we shouldn't do this because Cornish residents never follows through". A curious position to take. Effectively these individuals are putting effort and resources into "doing nothing", and saying we should not pursue bettering Cornish because the residents don't want to make things better. This is rather confusing to have so much conviction to defeatism.

Other common talking points include:

This project will cause a huge tax burden on the residents.
- This is false, and all the project information presented by the Trustees and CCI show there is no cost to the residents.

The operational costs are not realistic.
- This would be a good talking point if any evidence was offered to support it. However, they offer no justification for this statement while the costs of operation are itemized in the plans presented.

The store should remain a store.
- The store is not and has not been an operational store for a long time. No parties have been found to make it a functional store. Analysis indicates such a move in this location is not lucrative, which is why the previous store failed. This talking point is unfortunately pure fiction because it asks for something that has no foundation to move forward on.

The current Stowell building should be renovated instead.
- It has been repeatedly shown that this is not possible due to various constraints of the structure and property involved. In order to equal the proposed move, a much higher cost would be incurred, all of which would fall on the taxpayers, and require the acquisition of surrounding residential properties in addition to expanding the original structure this group wants to preserve. It is an unrealistic, damaging, and contradictory proposition.

There has also been some "conspiracy theory" level statements that imply the Library Trustees and/or the CCI have some nefarious hidden agenda to raise taxes on the residents and secretly control the construction of this new facility. We find this troubling because of how it speaks to those who would believe this. There is no evidence of these accusations. The CCI is finalizing federal non-profit status registration and as such could not partake in underhanded actions. The build process has been stated to include the community in the build committee process to ensure regular and transparent communication that continues to align with the public need.

We hope that reasonable and rational discussion will lead to a positive outcome for the community as this gift is embraced, starting with the vote at Town Meeting. We condemn the spiteful and paranoid rhetoric that has been uttered by some members of the community, at times with hostility toward those who are being altruistic in this proposal.

A group of unknown individuals have spent a decent amount of time and money creating signs and flyers to oppose the Library move. This includes a website for Save the Stowell.

One of the most curious oppositional pieces on that website basically sums up to "we shouldn't do this because Cornish residents never follows through". A curious position to take. Effectively these individuals are putting effort and resources into "doing nothing", and saying we should not pursue bettering Cornish because the residents don't want to make things better. This is rather confusing to have so much conviction to defeatism.

Other common talking points include:

This project will cause a huge tax burden on the residents.
- This is false, and all the project information presented by the Trustees and CCI show there is no cost to the residents.

The operational costs are not realistic.
- This would be a good talking point if any evidence was offered to support it. However, they offer no justification for this statement while the costs of operation are itemized in the plans presented.

The store should remain a store.
- The store is not and has not been an operational store for a long time. No parties have been found to make it a functional store. Analysis indicates such a move in this location is not lucrative, which is why the previous store failed. This talking point is unfortunately pure fiction because it asks for something that has no foundation to move forward on.

The current Stowell building should be renovated instead.
- It has been repeatedly shown that this is not possible due to various constraints of the structure and property involved. In order to equal the proposed move, a much higher cost would be incurred, all of which would fall on the taxpayers, and require the acquisition of surrounding residential properties in addition to expanding the original structure this group wants to preserve. It is an unrealistic, damaging, and contradictory proposition.

There has also been some "conspiracy theory" level statements that imply the Library Trustees and/or the CCI have some nefarious hidden agenda to raise taxes on the residents and secretly control the construction of this new facility. We find this troubling because of how it speaks to those who would believe this. There is no evidence of these accusations. The CCI is finalizing federal non-profit status registration and as such could not partake in underhanded actions. The build process has been stated to include the community in the build committee process to ensure regular and transparent communication that continues to align with the public need.

We hope that reasonable and rational discussion will lead to a positive outcome for the community as this gift is embraced, starting with the vote at Town Meeting. We condemn the spiteful and paranoid rhetoric that has been uttered by some members of the community, at times with hostility toward those who are being altruistic in this proposal.