BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg Mayor Jeffrey M. Skelly says he plans to vote against the library budget proposition in May, but says he will ensure the library stays open regardless of the outcome.

The mayor has come under criticism from the public for not supporting the library’s attempt to secure an additional $225,000 through a proposition attached to the school budget. The mayor says his problem isn’t with the library itself, but how it’s been managed.

If the proposition fails, the mayor says he will ask the executive director and all members of the library board to resign. If it passes, he says that means people have made their choice to support the library’s current direction.

He says that while the budget vote may be about funding, it’s also a referendum of sorts on the library’s leadership.

Skelly says his problem with the library is the same he’s shared with various city departments prior to ongoing restructuring: the cost of services exceeds the benefits.

“The Ogdensburg Public Library should be a jewel in St. Lawrence County, but sadly it is not. It occupies an entire building in the city’s historic district along with a beautiful sprawling park overlooking the St. Lawrence River. No library in this region has such lush surroundings and does so little with it,” Skelly said in a letter sent to North Country This Week. “Our library should be remodeled to include a coffee shop or café, perhaps a gift shop. Make it a destination, make it a place where people want to go. The entire upstairs of our library is barely used at all. What a great place for a computer center.”

Ogdensburg Library Board of Directors President Michelle McLagan says the library does not want to compete with the Remington museum, which has a gift shop or local businesses that sell coffee. She also noted that establishing such a shop would require investment in both construction and employees.

“It would take a construction grant and someone has to staff it. You then have state health regulations that need to be met,” she said. “How much is that going to cost? How are we going to compete with small businesses? That’s not what the library is about,” she said.

Library Executive Director Penny Kerfien notes that the city’s draft comprehensive plan refers to the library as a treasure, and says the library often uses the nearby park to host events year round and says events are often held upstairs as well.

“We have a computer center on the main floor of the library that has 8 public access computers (four at this time, due to COVID). They are free of charge and we also have free WiFi,” she said. “The upstairs of the library has a conference room that can be used by any community group, there is a local history room and there is the auditorium. The auditorium is used for any and all events for the library and local community groups.”

Kerfien says there have been History Talks presented by the city Historian, preschool graduations on the stage, The Friends of the Library Sweetheart Soiree fundraiser, the Friends book sales, library programs -- from animals to dog sledding and a girl scout troop is using for meetings because it allows the necessary space to comply with COVID regulations.

Skelly says the new direction that city council has taken is aimed at lowering taxes and finding new and more efficient ways to run city departments. He contends that current library leadership has failed to follow suit.

“As a result of consolidations and smart thinking we have developed a leaner and more efficient city staff across the board. The library should be no exception. We can do better, and we should,” he said.

“For years we threw money at the library and other departments and accomplished little except for burying taxpayers in debt,” he said.

Kerfien says the library has made some deep cuts. She said the library recently went from seven full-time positions down to just two full-time positions. She said the library has six part-time staff members that work 20 hours or less per week. This includes two maintenance staff members and four clerks.

For Skelly, the cuts were too late and the services provided are too few.

Skelly was critical of the library for what he says was a failure to act as the city trimmed the library over the past six years.

“The library has known for years that funding was slowly being cut back because the city government – the taxpayers – could no longer simply pour money into library coffers. Yet during that same period the library did little to make plans for streamlining operations,” Skelly said. “Six years ago the city was funding the library to the tune of nearly $550,000 a year, and each year since then the facility has seen the funding reduced incrementally. The library knew the cuts were coming, the cuts were discussed annually with library officials, and yet each year the library muddled along, doing little that can be considered new and creative to increase usage and offset those cuts.”

This year the library is receiving $162,000 in direct support from city council, and next year – a year later than originally planned – library operating funds will be zeroed out, Skelly said.

McLagan says the city’s library budget doesn’t tell the whole story. She says that the city’s line item for “fundraising” may be zeroed out. That’s because the library is limited in how it can raise money from fundraisers. She says the Friends of the Ogdensburg Public Library, a non-profit organization, perform such tasks instead. She says the friends find areas where the library needs extra help and holds events, book sales and other innovative charities to help supplement the library where the budget falls short.

McLagan said that while it may not appear in the city’s budget the fundraising is essential to keeping the library solvent. She said the library is also part of Northern New York Community Foundation, which allows them to be considered interested donors seeking to help other organizations. Additionally, the Ogdensburg Public Library is part of the Amazon Smile program, which donates small percentages of purchases to the Friends of the Public Library when shopping through Amazon Smile.

“Today, there are ‘Save Our Library’ signs dotting Ogdensburg streets, suggesting that some unforeseen event has brought on the library’s demise. To be honest, the signs should say ‘The Ogdensburg Library has wasted your money for years, we are sorry,’ Skelly said.

Skelly says he will vote “no” on the funding proposition because money isn’t the answer to fixing the problems at the library.

“Money is not the key to saving the library, innovation and greater effort is what is lacking. During the last decade taxpayers have spent millions of dollars on the library and all of that money has not saved it,” he said. “However, what will save it is a new mindset. Our library board should be among the most creative thinkers in the community, yet they have done little, if anything, to show us that they are.”

At a recent council meeting, the city debated the method for filling library trustee positions. Traditionally the library board made recommendations for appointments, which the mayor typically rubber-stamped.

However, Skelly has signaled that he will not be appointing the three trustees recommended by the board as he feels new leadership is needed. He said he does not intend to make appointments until after the vote.

McLagan says she will be voting ‘yes’ on the library proposition.

“I’m going to vote yes because I believe it’s important that a viable vibrant community has a public library that supports people from all walks of life,” she said, adding that the library is crucial to the long-term success of the city’s growth.

She also said she’d like to meet with current council members and the mayor to discuss ideas that could help the library succeed.

Skelly says regardless of the outcome, the library isn’t going anywhere.

“For the record, and to be absolutely clear on this matter, the City of Ogdensburg will not close the Ogdensburg Public Library, however there is going to be significant change and that change will begin in 2022. Regardless of how the taxpayers vote in the upcoming referendum, the library cannot sustain itself with the current business model and needs new leadership on its board of trustees to make the difficult decisions that must be made to advance the library into the future.”