Great Barrington Library Trustees Vote to Rebuild Website, Debate Ramsdale Committee's Fate

LENOX — May 13, 2026 — Great Barrington Library Trustees vote unanimously to seek bids on a new library website and debate the expiration of the Ramsdale Building Committee's charter. At the May 13 board meeting, trustees directed Library Director Dawn Jardine to issue a request for proposals for a ground-up website rebuild estimated at roughly $13,050 to $15,000, rejecting the option of patching the existing five-year-old site, which Jardine described as so over-coded that renaming a single navigation tab took the current webmaster hours of work. The building committee discussion proved more divisive: the committee's charter expires June 30, and trustee Ruby Chang, who chairs it, reported that the Massachusetts Historical Commission has rejected the Ramsdale design submission and requires a two-track response, including structural load data from the architect and a letter of support from the local Historical Commission. One trustee argued the Select Board should simply extend the existing committee — "Leave the committee as it is" — while others said the construction phase requires additional expertise including DPW representation. The board reached consensus that Jardine will convey to Town Manager Liz Hartsoff the importance of retaining current members' institutional knowledge, built over more than 30 meetings, in any reconstituted body.