Nothing
Says Andover
like a $70,000
granite polar bear.
So where did the
seventy thousand dollars come from?
I'm not sure myself, but I
can find out for $40.28
(hint...the endowment they claim it came from does not exist)
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Money Bears?
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Do your Selectman
know what these bears cost and where the money came from?
Do your Selectmen
know what alternative uses may have been allowed by the unnamed
endowment?
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This
Boston
Globe
article isn't very clear and states...
"In 1987, a piece of public art at
the library was destroyed in a storm; the library received an
insurance settlement that trustees decided to use for
replacement art, Herman said."
But also..
"Herman said the funds for the
sculpture come out of an endowment that cannot be used for
normal library operations."
So, which is it? An insurance
settlement or an endowment. And if an endowment, what are
the conditions?
On 2/3/2010 I sent a "Freedom Of
Information Act" request to Library Director Ms. Beth Mazin
with just that question. Below is my request and her
reply...that if I want the truth I can pay $40.28 to get the facts.
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Where's the "transparency" every one
talks about?
Why don't they tell
us the truth for free?
As your Selectman I would ask these
questions and more of the same
We don't have a revenue problem, we
have a spending problem.
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Dear Mr. Bruce:
In reference to your request for information about the
Polar Bear sculpture under the MA public
records law, we
will do our best to supply you with the relevant
documents that will answer your
questions. Here is an
estimate of the cost to supply the documents as per the
September 22, 1997,
policy of the Andover Board of
Selectmen:
Staff time to search, pull, and copy the files: 1.5
hours of staff time at $25.52/hour = $38.28
10 pages of photocopies at $.20 per page = $2.00
Total estimate of costs = $40.28
As soon as we receive your payment of $40.28 in a check
made payable to the Town of Andover we
will begin
work on the request. We estimate it will take us 5-7
days to supply the documents.
Thank you,
Beth Mazin
--
Beth Mazin
Library Director
Memorial Hall Library
2 North Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
p. 978-623-8401 x41
f. 978-623-8407
bmazin@mhl.org
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 10:19
AM
The Boston
Globe article referenced below mentions reports
for our library's Polar Bear sculpture
that is a bit
contradictory. It first mentions an insurance
settlement, then an endowment.
Could you
please reply with the amount of the insurance
settlement paid, when it was paid, for what
exact purpose it was paid, and to what account name it
was deposited? Also, could you please identify the
endowment
referenced and provide the full conditions
stated by the grantor?
Finally, what
was the total cost to include purchase,
transportation, and installation?
Please consider
this request as an inquiry under our Commonwealth's
FOIA.
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Update February 12, 2010
Contrary to the article in
The Boston Globe , there is no endowment.
Though Karen Herman,
President of the Library Board of Trustees was quoted as
sourcing the
funds for the polar bears from an insurance
settlement and an endowment
in response to my FOIA inquiry Beth Mazin has yet to
identify the insurance settlement or the unnamed trust that the
funds were allegedly drawn from . I also have not been
provided with a total cost of the bears. I have been asked by Beth Mazin to,
"not ask for additional documents until you have received the
documents we have requested from the Town." This is a
violation of the FOIA which I will act upon.
I am told, "The Polar Bear sculpture
was paid for solely with money from the Trustee funds, not with
any of these separate funds, which are not co-mingled."
I have to wonder who paid the insurance premiums that lead to
the settlement, the unnamed trust.. or the Town of Andover.
And who the beneficiary actually was.
Finally, I can not find a form 990 filed
with the Attorney General's office for this unnamed trust.
The library has failed to locate any articles of organization
for a trust I am told has $500,000 in deposits. In fact,
they have sent me only a copy of the contract to purchase the
bear...and nothing else but website printouts.
Mr. Bruce:
Here are the answers, to the best of my knowledge, to
the questions you have asked me
and my admin today.
1. The Trustees "Endowment": There is no "endowment" per
se. There is no "name" to this
fund, which is composed
of gifts made over the last century, and income from the
investment
of those funds. Any funds or bequests to the
library which are made subject to specific purposes
are
kept separate and administered by the Town for the
benefit of the library. The Polar Bear
sculpture was
paid for solely with money from the Trustee funds, not
with any of these separate
funds, which are not
co-mingled.
2. The Trustees of Memorial Hall Library are a
town board, appointed by the Town Manager and
approved
by the Selectmen. They are not a charitable 501c
organization. The Friends of
Memorial Hall Library are a 501c organization. They raise money to
support the library. They
did not contribute to the
purchasing the Polar Bear sculpture. The Trustees
Bylaws document
which you have received has the
organization information about the Trustees.
As my admin told you, we are waiting information on the
insurance proceeds from the Birdwatcher
statue to
complete your public records request and will send it to
you when we get it. We expect
to have it by next
Friday, February 19, at the latest. That will be the
end of the 10 day period (once the check is received) to
comply with a public records request.
We would suggest that you not ask for additional
documents until you have received the documents
we have
requested from the Town, as they should be as responsive
to your original request
as we can make them. If you
want additional documents, we will send you an estimate
for the
cost of providing those documents.
Beth Mazin
--
Beth Mazin
Library Director
Memorial Hall Library
2 North Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
p. 978-623-8401 x41
f. 978-623-8407
bmazin@mhl.org
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Update February 18, 2010
It appears that contrary to Library Director Beth Mazin
funds are being mixed. Town of Andover money appears
to have funded at least $9,750.00 of the polar bear statue.
Below is a scan of the insurance payment to the Town of
Andover. This indicates the policy was paid for by the
Town of Andover, and that the settlement belongs to the Town
of Andover. It appears that the
$9,750.00 could have been used for any purpose.
I still do not have the total cost for the statue. I
will post the documents as soon as I receive them.
We don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.
Click on image above to view |
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