Goodnow trustees defend April plaque vote, set new agenda-clarity practice

SUDBURY -- June 6, 2023, Goodnow trustees defend $26,000 plaque vote and confront indefinite elevator shutdown. Trustee Katina Fontes read a prepared statement defending the board's April 4 vote to install a plaque recognizing a memorial gift made to the Friends of the Goodnow Library in August 2020, saying she would "not apologize for voting affirmatively to recognize a gift made by a family in honor of a deceased loved one." The plaque, costing $100 to $200, will be paid for from the Goodnow trust funds. Director Esmé Green said the building's elevator failed a state re-inspection and remains shut down with no new inspection date set, forcing staff to hand-carry an 800-pound bin of donated books out for nonprofit More Than Words. Trustee Ingrid J. Mayyasi noted the town's solar energy revolving fund holds roughly $1 million and may be tapped to close a $25,000 gap on the library's stalled EV charging station. Green also announced the library was recommended for a $20,000, two-year LSTA grant for an indigenous-history archive.