Adams Township ponders pulling out of partnership with Mars on proposed library
ADAMS TWP — Township Supervisor Russell Ford revealed during a board of supervisors meeting on Monday night, July 29, the township has considered pulling out of an agreement with Mars Borough to finance a proposed combination library/discovery center on Main Street in Mars.
“We are going to revisit this and have a long discussion about it, but it looks as though Adams Township is going to pull out of that project,” Ford said. “We haven’t (decided) yet, but we’re very close. We’re going to look at our options.”
“I don't know at this point if I have answers or (if) anyone involved with the project at this point does,” said Mars Borough Mayor Gregg Hartung in a message to the Butler Eagle. “It may take another meeting for Mars to see where things actually stand on the project.”
Both Mars and Adams Township announced the collaboration in May 2024, with a special public meeting at the Adams fire hall.
The idea was set in motion in 2019, when Mars Borough received a $1 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project grant from the state of Pennsylvania for a “discovery center,” which would serve as a space and STEM education center. This was part of the borough’s growing collaboration with NASA, which includes biennial Mars New Year events.
The grant came with a catch — Mars needed to put up $2 million in matching funds.
“I proposed to Mars Borough, because they needed $2 million to get their $1 million grant, that Adams Township would put that up and we would do a joint project,” Ford said. “The ultimate goal was for us to be good neighbors, to build a new library, keep it in the town of Mars and hopefully start the revitalization of Mars.”
The plan called for a combination library, discovery center and a branch of NexTier Bank, to be located on the site of the historic Mars Bank on the borough’s Main Street. This would require demolishing the old bank building and building from scratch.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Ford said Mars had recently started to have second thoughts about the project.
“Over the last few months, Mars has gotten a little bit skittish in regards to their participation in the project due to financial constraints,” Ford said. “There doesn’t seem to be a viable financial option for Adams Township to put their money in with their partner not putting money in.”
As for alternatives, Ford said if the township did indeed pull out of their arrangement with Mars, they would refocus their efforts on planning for a new library near the Adams Township community park. This would effectively replace the plans for the combination library/discovery center in Mars.
“If we pull out of that deal (with Mars), that deal is dead,” Ford said. “Meaning the new library in the borough is dead.”
The current Mars Area Public Library is on Grand Avenue in Mars Borough. The library recently reached out to nonprofit consulting firm Mark J. Lynch and Associates to commission a feasibility study to assess fundraising potential for the planned new library.
