In a time of rising costs and decreasing funds, the Belmont Media Center is formalizing its plans to relocate its headquarters into the new library.
“It’s an exciting opportunity,” said Jeff Hansell, executive director of the Belmont Media Center. “It really allows us to continue to provide services and equipment to the town and schools into … into the future, given the economic forecasts we’re seeing and without being a drag on the town’s budget.”
Hansell met with Library Board of Trustees Chair Kathy Keohane this week to formalize an agreement.
Keohane called it a win for the library, a win for the media center, and a win for the public that uses both resources.
“We’re all really excited about it because it demonstrates groups working for the community … for our residents,” she said.
In November 2022, Belmont voters approved a debt exclusion of $34.5 million for the library, and community donations accounted for an extra $5 million. The cost per household is $232 per year per $1 million assessed value. The $34.5 million cost includes design fees, construction costs, contingencies, and temporary needs (relocating library services, for example).
“We’ve always had in the library design a studio space, so … they’ll be able to occupy that,” Keohane said.
The former library building closed on Nov. 22, 2023, and library services were dispersed around town. Adult library services operate from the Beech Street Center; children’s services have moved to the Benton Library on Oakley Road, and some staff and administration work from the Chenery School.
Hansell said he’s been working in recent months with a consulting team that includes an architect and production designer, all of whom are doing the work for free. Together, they’re helping to design a new media center space at the library.
“My guiding principle is we want to spend as little money as possible and get as much out of the investment in capital so it can be sustained over a longer period of time,” he said.
Hansell is also working out the details for a satellite space at the Belmont Middle and High School. That studio, in particular, will serve as a training ground or educational space.
The look to move out of its current location at 9 Lexington St. comes as funding from cable television franchise fees trends downward, not just locally but elsewhere in the state as customers cancel cable subscriptions in favor of streaming services. According to its website, the media center is funded largely by cable fees, which are paid by the companies through the town of Belmont, with additional support from local business sponsors.
Legislation has been filed called an Act to Modernize Funding for Community Media Programming, which would impose a 5% fee on streaming services for using public utilities in the same way cable companies pay a fee. That money would then be distributed to public, educationa,l and government access channels, such as Belmont Media Center Television.
In the meantime, Hansell said it was always the plan to find a public building to move into — particularly with the overhead costs associated with renting their current space in Waverly Square.
This location offers the proximity to Harris Field, where a number of sporting events are live streamed, and Town Hall and the Homer Building, where most municipal meetings take place.
The opening day for the new library is autumn 2025.
“At the end,” Hansell said, “the public is going to benefit because we’ll be able to expand our services without costing the town or the schools money.”
