After an executive session at its meeting Thursday, the Skaneateles Library Board of Trustees has announced it will not pursue relocation to the site of Stella Maris.
In a statement the board said, “Upon further research, analysis and discussion during the due diligence process, the Skaneateles Library Association Board of Trustees has decided not to pursue the Stella Maris property as a potential new location. The Board has discussed this with Peter and Elsa Soderberg, and the Soderbergs support the Board’s assessment and rationale. While the Board has not found any concerns with the financial or physical feasibility of this project, the Board now faces a threat of significant legal opposition that may make the project untenable from a financial and project-duration perspective, and that would not be in the best interest of the project or the community.”
A statement was also issued by Peter and Elsa Soderberg, who purchased Stella Maris and offered the location to the library.
In their statement, the Soderbergs said, “We had a vision for Project Bookends that it would help Skaneateles become a home for lifelong learning opportunities. We thought this initiative would meet with broad support and would be seen as uniting and enriching the lives of all age groups in our community. Instead, we and the project supporters have faced personal attacks and, now, credible threats of lawsuits from our neighbors. The inevitable costs and delays involved in these lawsuits would dissipate critical time and funds earmarked for the project, and fracture, not unite, our community.”
