EXETER — The Exeter Public Library's proposed $5 million expansion and renovation project cleared a major hurdle Monday night as it was recommended by selectmen to appear on the town warrant. Voters in March will now have the opportunity to decide whether they want expanded children's space, additional study rooms, an energy-efficient HVAC system and a riverwalk from String Bridge to Founder’s Park.

Selectmen crafted the town warrant Monday night during the public hearing for the proposed budget, bond and warrant articles. Deliberative session, where voters will have the opportunity to debate and amend the budget and warrant articles, is scheduled for Feb. 3.

Much of the debate this budget season focused around two major Capital Improvement Program projects, both the library and Exeter Parks and Recreation proposals, adding to the town's growing debt service. Despite the selectmen's vote not to recommend the $7.1 recreation park redevelopment, it will appear on the warrant in the form of a citizens petition.

Selectmen voted 4 to 1 to recommend the library proposal, with Selectwoman Anne Surman the lone vote against.

Library Director Hope Godino told selectmen they focused on presenting the basic needs of the public space to voters, while some board members argued they were not suggesting the bare minimum, essential work.

"We were very careful in honing it down just to what we need for now," Godino said. "But it will also show we have a future in the library."

Over the course of this budget season, Godino spoke about how much libraries have changed over the last several decades, and are no longer places a resident "just comes to take out a book."

"They come in and they visit, they come to book groups, they come to spend time or just read a magazine," she said. She noted programming for seniors and children has become increasingly popular. In addition, Exeter's number of residents going to school for their bachelor's, master's or some sort of certificate has grown, and they need more places to do their work, Godino said.

"We found a way to design and expand the building to suit all of the needs we are seeing today and what we expect to see in the future of public libraries," she said. "We also have a number of people who are homeless or in dire straights. They can come to the library, bring their children. It bothers us not to be able to do a better job. Exeter is really a library community."

Judy Rowan, member of the Budget Recommendations Committee, which recommended the library project by a majority vote, said she was hoping to see an improvement in the current proposed architectural design of the expansion.

"I would hope whatever is decided in terms of this project that there will be additional attention paid to the design itself, something that would be more worthy of being built as a major town building in Exeter," Rowan said.

Surman said she would have supported simply a renovation, but not an expansion as well. "I know it needs a new roof, I know it needs windows," she said. "Those types of things I totally support. I’m not in favor of expansion, the riverwalk, or any of those things. It has nothing to do with not supporting the library. I just think at the end of the day we are putting a huge burden on our taxpayers and ratepayers."

Selectman Dan Chartrand urged residents involved in both the library and recreation projects not to compete against one another and "create a quality of life coalition in this town."

"I’m going to urge the supporters of both of these projects not to play a divisive game," Chartrand said. "Support each other's projects."

Emerging over the last several selectmen meetings as a skeptic of the town's increasing unaffordability, Selectwoman Kathy Corson said she was surprised she was in favor of the library project.

"It’s an existing building that since I‘ve been bringing my kids there, there’s been leaks, there’s been issues," she said. "It houses a lot of very important information and it also helps a lot of people. I think the longer we wait on this, then we are in trouble."

Selectman Chairman Don Clement put out a challenge to the trustees to "only do the basics." 

"Don't do the 'nice-to-have,'" he said. "The riverwalk would be a nice feature but it’s not necessary."

Also occurring Monday night, while the recreation park proposal's place on the ballot is cemented by a citizens petition, a slim majority of selectmen voted not to recommend it. The recommendation will appear with the text of the citizens petition on the warrant.

The petition was submitted by President of Exeter Junior Softball Steve Singlar, whose organization has pledged $200,000 to the project that would provide them with new fields. The citizens petition deadline was last week, prior to Monday night's public hearing.

The $7.1 million plans include two youth softball fields, adding lights to the current soccer field and adult softball field, a soccer field expansion, a new playground to replace the current 1998 playground that does not meet current standards, moving the pool deck, and a 16,000 square-foot building for multiple uses including programming, offices and camp backup site.

While the notion of a multi-million dollar bond petition warrant article drew controversy from board members and residents, Greg Bisson, assistant director of Exeter Parks and Recreation, said, "The residents aren’t going to go off and do their own project up there. It’s a Parks and Rec project."

Surman said she was still concerned with undetermined costs of site work and the fact that Parks and Recreation did not solicit for private funding sources when asked to do so after rejection of the project by the Budget Recommendations Committee last year.

Chartrand called the proposal a "strategic investment in the quality of life in this town."

"There’s no question we have a top rated recreation department," Clement said. "One of the concerns I have again is the ever-growing debt service that we have in this town."

Two selectmen voted for the proposal, while three voted against.