Public comment and council discussion on Tuesday focused heavily on the town’s plan to purchase and renovate a privately owned building for a new library and to finance the project with a moral‑obligation bond.

Several residents asked the council to pause work, demand a public hearing and provide a clearer, line‑by‑line financial analysis before proceeding. “Any financial decision that has to be rushed is likely not a good financial decision,” said Terry Flynn, who presented an analysis to the council and asked that updated numbers be published in the format used in the town’s earlier November 2024 analysis. “Residents want the library in the center of town,” Flynn said, adding that the public should have a fuller opportunity to comment on both location and debt strategy.

Other speakers focused on accessibility and programmatic concerns. Wendy Reel, who identified herself as a resident, told the council the selected site is along a busy state road and said walking access for seniors and children would be limited; she urged that a public hearing be held and that voters be given a say on the funding plan.

Town staff and finance officials defended the budget and the approach in public remarks. The administration said the overall cost (purchase plus renovation) has been budgeted at about $11.88 million and that the financing plan uses a short‑term note followed by a longer 20‑year moral‑obligation financing instrument. Finance staff clarified that the $11.4 million number circulated in a resident memo had been misread as a retrofit cost separate from the $3.4 million purchase price; the administration said the purchase price is part of the total borrowed amount.

Officials contrasted that figure with prior estimates for constructing a new, purpose‑built library at the West Main Road site, which staff and consultants estimated at roughly $20–24 million depending on configuration and current market construction costs. Town staff said the purchased building requires interior renovation and sound attenuation, but that a renovation budget was within the council‑approved total. The town has hired an architect and construction manager and expects schematic design to be largely complete soon; construction documents would follow.

Several residents urged alternative approaches — leasing space, using town‑owned buildings or holding a public vote — and repeatedly asked the council to hold off on demolition and other work until after a public hearing and a fuller public accounting. Council members did not adopt a new financing decision at the meeting; several said they wanted clearer documentation and public input before a final commitment.

Town officials said the project team is moving toward a January start for renovations and that more detailed cost schedules could be provided to the council and public. The council did not take a vote to change the financing method at the meeting.