In response to letters from Louisville council members that appeared in the May 23-29 issue of North Country This Week: I feel it’s important to clarify some of the false claims that are being made about Massena Public Library’s school district public library ballot scheduled for June 9.

As library director, I am responsible for writing grants. We have been chosen as the recipient of some very competitive grants that we have used to upgrade our building, technology and patron programs. Here are some of the improvements we’ve made thanks to grant funding:

• The installation of a “Library Viewing Room” in the Warren Room. The new technology includes: a state of the art ceiling mounted LCD projector, four room speakers, laptop, amplifier and large screen. This room gets great use for public meetings, remote trainings and meetings for non-profit agencies, and free movie screenings for children and adults. There was no cost to our taxpayers; a grant covered the entire project.

• The creation of a “Patron Business Center” in the Main Reading Room. This center is a small classroom that allows us to conduct trainings on technology (cellphone, iPad and computer). These free trainings are particularly popular among our retired community. Patrons who require privacy to complete online applications, tests or resumes may use this space. We encourage small startup businesses to use this center as a place to access technology and to meet as they work on growing their business. This project was entirely covered by grant funding; taxpayer dollars were not used.

• Recently, Massena Public Library has been awarded a New York State Construction Grant to cover 75% of the cost of a commercial kitchen. The 25% matching funds will be paid by a local granting organization. When planning the kitchen project, we met with area nonprofits, including local food banks, the housing authority and Cornell Cooperative Extension to discuss the need for a kitchen of this type in our community. We plan to partner with our nonprofits to offer training in food preparation and cooking. Free instruction in basic cooking skills with simple, healthy and local ingredients is a real need in our community.

I would like to strongly reiterate that all grants we pursue and receive cover the entire cost of the project. It would be fiscally foolhardy for the library to commit its operating budget to fund major improvements.

If the vote is successful, Massena Public Library has no intention of using public money to support an expansion of the library.

The increase in the library budget is needed to support services the Town of Massena currently provides - such as accounting, payroll, insurance and legal services.

Please don’t insult your constituents by spreading false information in hopes of unduly influencing them to vote according to your wants. Some of your residents may not support a strong community library and they will vote no on June 9, but some of your constituents enjoy and support a community library and they will vote yes.

Please respect their right to make their own choice according to their needs, and not attempt to sway their voting decision with falsehoods.

Elaine Dunne, director

Massena Public Library