Should the Haines Borough build a new assembly chambers attached to the public library?
That’s the question that’s before the Haines Borough Assembly during its next two meetings. If you have an opinion, get hold of an assembly member or show up at the assembly meetings Nov. 6 and Dec. 4.
On a 3-3 tied vote broken by an affirmative vote by Mayor Jan Hill, the assembly on Tuesday, Oct. 22 voted for a resolution in favor of spending $30,000 on designing a new chambers at the library. But the resolution vote doesn’t decide the matter.
The $30,000 isn’t committed until the assembly officially spends the money, which requires an ordinance and two public hearings. Those are your upcoming opportunities to weigh in.
At the Oct. 22 meeting, assembly members Sean Maidy, Will Prisciandaro and Heather Lende voted in support of the $30,000 design, which, as a practical matter, commits the borough to spending at least $400,000 for the library addition. (It’s highly unlikely that we would spend $30,000 on design without going ahead with construction.)
I and assembly members Stephanie Scott and Brenda Josephson voted against spending $30,000 on a design.
As I said at Tuesday’s meeting, I’m not comfortable committing to a new $430,000 project until I have a feeling that taxpayers want their money spent on a new assembly chambers.
The assembly, at this time, also is pursuing a grant for improvements to the current assembly chambers, located in the rear of the Public Safety Building, including bringing that room up to public access standards.
Improvements include upgrading the chambers’ wheelchair ramp and adding of first-floor restrooms so citizens with disabilities who come to speak to the assembly can use rest rooms. (The public restrooms in the building are upstairs, a likely violation of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act which requires government buildings to be open to all.)
It’s not unreasonable that both projects – improving the Public Safety Building and adding chambers to the library – would go forward. Whether or not chambers are added to the library, the Public Safety Building is a public building and any continued public use requires going ahead with upgrades there.
In fact, it’s likely that borough offices located upstairs in the building would move into the assembly chambers, making those borough employees accessible to the public.
Personally, I’d love a new assembly chambers. The current space is hot in summer, cold in winter, poorly ventilated and too small to hold everyone who turns out when the assembly is debating a hot topic.
With its low ceiling and old, buzzing fluorescent lights, I’d venture to say that the chambers is part of the reason that so many people find assembly meetings painful. It’s not a comfortable space. And it may also be a factor for some of the wackiness that’s occurred in that room over the decades.
But the truth is, it’s impossible to argue that we absolutely need a new chambers. We could get along where we are, with the planned accessibility improvements.
To my mind, the decision is up to you, the people who foot the bills of borough government. Do you want to spend $430,000 or more for a new chambers? Let us know. Thanks.