Salem asked to wait on library payment

community-library-logoA representative of the Community Library Board asked the Salem Town Board on Wednesday to hold off on making any move on its elector approved donation of $50,000 toward a new Silver Lake library branch.

Gail Peckler-Dziki, a member of the library board from Salem, said the library is currently trying to work out a lease agreement with the village of Silver Lake for a building the village purchased to be used as a library.

Originally, Silver Lake was looking for the other Community Library system municipalities to contribute $50,000 each toward the purchase and renovation of the former day care building on Second Street.

Salem put the question before town electors and it was approved. But all of the other municipalities have rejected contributing. Some have cited a lack of a intergovernmental agreement concerning the purchase but uncertainty about Silver Lake’s future as a village and an investigation into the legality of how the purchase was completed may also have contributed. Ultimately, the village survived a referendum to dissolve it and a district attorney’s office investigation found no criminal wrong doing in the purchase.

Peckler-Dziki asked for the board to wait because the library is going to seek to lease the building from the village. The library is prohibited from directly owning real estate.

The library also is working on determining what needs to be done to the building to make it ready for use as a library, Peckler-Dziki said.

Once the lease and renovation matters are settled, Salem can then decide what it would like to do with its pending donation.

“It’s possible you might want to contribute to the build out,” Peckler-Dziki said. She also pointed out that local geography means many Salem residents might find a bigger and better Silver Lake branch more convenient to use than the branch in Salem at Highways 83 and AH.

“If it is a larger facility, I suspect it will have the ability to draw more people,” said town Supervisor Dennis Faber. “I’m glad to see there’s some movement now…”

Peckler-Dziki said the library has an exitising agreement that it will maintain a branch in Silver Lake. The agreement relates to when the current Salem library branch was constructed replacing a location in Silver Lake as the system’s main location.

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8 Comments

  1. Branden Sellers says:

    So……. what Business model are we using here. in Silver Lake???? no economics selection had this particular curriculum in It’s catalog… just curious……

  2. Comments says:

    Repeated b pugsley comments using different names in 3… 2… 1…

  3. Bernard Punsley says:

    @Comments…….just curious who is “b pugsley”? Have not seen comments from him/her in the past?

  4. SL Goverment Gone Wild says:

    It is very obvious that Mike and Sue have made a very large mistake when they bought the building to house the library. They are working feverishly to salvage something out of it. They look very bad to the public.

  5. MIke and Sue? says:

    Pat Dunn and every board member votes to purchase the building.

  6. really? says:

    and this board member brought this up to the town board for what purpose and under what authority? I didn’t see this on any library board agenda or in any board minutes released to date. Is this a personal opinion? A personal suggestion? What is the Board information/commentary on this? Forget the personal stuff, lets hear the real library board discussion and result.

  7. @ Really says:

    Yes I agree. This item was put on the town agenda at request of a local taxpayer because Salem seems to be dragging their feet on making a decision about this.

    Salem’s stated reason is, Silver Lake has not yet said exactly where the money will go. Whether it will be to pay down on the loan or be used to build out the building in anticipation of the library moving in. (Along with the supposedly $50,000 that Silverlake has in a bank somewhere)

    While Salem has no control over Silverlake or the library board directly, they would like to know where their money is going before they send it.

    Salem chairman Tesar was to attend the library meeting that very night to ask those questions but did not because of a conflict with the Salem town meetings.

    As for Gail Dziki Authority to speak on behalf of the library board, I agree that’s a question that should be answered.

  8. Really says:

    @really, This may have been on the town agenda but it is the Library Board agenda that is of importance here and I didn’t see the agenda with anything related to the Silver Lake branch. Unless, to have the Salem board direct the Salem Library Board Members to pursue it with the Library Board Agenda for specific questions, etc. To do that, I think they would need to have this on a town board agenda to specifically discuss and act. Right?

    There are several issue in this entire library set up that have always been a little slow to surface and always deal with funds over a few pennies.

    The town was asked to vote on an ill prepared and ill formed motion at an electors meeting which by some accounts was done only by our own chairman without any directive from the library board at all and without approval of the rest of the town board members for the special meeting. Our chairman and the Silver Lake President were the only two who felt that action could occur – and look at the mess there is now! There was no design, no full library board vote, nothing on any agenda for approval to take it to the municipalities, no exit plan from the old location, no physical move plan, no refurbish plan, no plans for computer services and other technical requirements, etc. . The entire issue rushed upon us as electors was premature and unprofessional. To this date, the library board hasn’t had any full discussion about the direction they wish to take regarding the building that they already occupy in Silver Lake. I don’t believe they have discussed any plans for a ‘potentially’ new building other than when touring.

    I am a little concerned about all the funds that the Library is obtaining from all the municipalities. There is very little visible information in any town minutes and the library website has nil. Regardless of who oversees the library – the West or the East of the I custodians, we get poor results regarding what the money is being used for or how. Communications for an entity based on words is very poor.

    I am not sure that attendance by the chairman would have netted any information since I did not see it on the agenda. Certainly, even if discussed as part of comments would have netted no action and no feedback to the town board.

    Which brings up a few other points. If there will be meeting conflicts, then there should be another representative appointed so that the meetings are attended and we are represented. This scenario does illustrate that board members shouldn’t be Library Board appointees. The appointment of town board and village board members does not seem to be serving us well.

    The other issue that I recall regarding the board makeup, is the actual library board make up. There was an issue a while back where we didn’t have the representation that Salem should have on the Library Board and that the whole of the Board composite was not in keeping with the Statutes. Has that been corrected or is Salem still under-represented? And why is the library board allowing this to continue. If the representation was correct, would this Silver Lake Library fiasco have occurred? I am not so sure it would have.

    When Taxpayers decide to agree to levy, the board then approves of the budget. I question how Silver Lake can use money applied to their taxpayers’ mil rates for something other than it was budgeted for. Given that, can Silver Lake alone truly decide to lease a supposed ‘library Building’ for something other than a library building without their full board approval? Does this budget change need more than a simple majority? I think it does. And if this building is a library entity, shouldn’t the library board have to approve the use for other than books?

    I am very uncomfortable with this entire situation.

    Lastly, I have already mentioned the lacking of information regarding the library. I am more apt to contact Paddock Lake for the info than anyone in Salem (including either of the board members in light of the aforementioned issues) and certainly will not take the time to make a call in to the questionable Silver Lake.

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