JFK Library Corp. Says Groups Decline Meetings

A spokesman for the John F. Kennedy Library Corporation said yesterday Cambridge civic groups have failed to take up his offer to discuss plans for the library.

"I don't understand why the groups have failed to follow up on our offers to meet with them," Al Pierce, the library corporation public relations officer, said yesterday.

After unveiling new plans for the library last June, the Kennedy Corporation offered to meet with local community groups to answer questions about the scaled-down design or to discuss modifications, Pierce said.

He charged that Neighborhood Nine, Neighborhood Ten, the Harvard Square Development Task Force and other groups had all failed to answer his letters to set up meetings.

False Claim

Paul R. Lawrence, head of Neighborhood Ten and Dongham Professor of Business Organization, said yesterday Pierce's allegations are "completely inaccurate."

"I met with Pierce for lunch," Lawrence said, "but it was up to him to propose an agenda for any further meetings."

'Prompt Reply'

Pamela Gifford, a member of the Harvard Square Task Force, also denied that her organization had put off meeting with the library corporation. "To the best of my knowledge, we have been prompt in replying to the corporation," she said.

Pierce also acknowledged that delays in the publication of the environmental impact statement on the library are adding to library construction costs at about the rate of inflation--which would amount to nearly $200,000 a month.

Pierce added that this was only a rough estimate and that he could not yet cite an exact figure.

Thoroughness

"Any delay has an effect on cost, but at this point it's more important that we have a thorough and complete environmental report," Pierce said.

He added that he has no indication of when the General Services Administration will release the impact statement and flatly denied that any member of the library corporation will have advance information on the report.