The physical library building will close in July and August for the parking lot reconstruction and reconfiguration, along with all interior and exterior demolition. This closure prioritizes patron and staff safety while maximizing construction progress and cost savings.
Public bids were due June 3. The Board of Trustees will award recommendations to the lowest responsible bidders, and construction will take between 15-18 months. Barring unexpected developments, your new community library will be completed by the fall 2022.
Some of our new features include:
- Solar roof panels
- A 525 SF quiet study room on the main floor
- Reconfigured parking lot with additional spots created and a safer entrance and exit pattern
- A new 1,700 SF multi-use space on the main floor for adult program use during the morning hours and a switch in the afternoon to accommodate our teen population
- Three new community meeting rooms, including a technology learning lab
- Sustainable building elements such as intelligent lighting systems, energy star-rated equipment, energy-efficient new windows in the lower courtyard area, and other sustainable design features
- New solar lights in the “green” parking lot and electric vehicle charging stations in the main lot
- Office space for library administration in the main building
- Fully renovated interior rooms that will offer additional comfortable seating arrangements, a new public computer area, and a better workflow to the existing space
- ADA-accessible bathrooms on the primary and lower levels, including an ADA bathroom in the new multi-use space
- ADA elevator to replace the 51-year-old original, non-ADA-compliant elevator
The building will reopen in September, utilizing the existing children’s department as an “express library” space while work continues. The express library will have computers for public use, fax/scanner and copy machines, and a circulating collection of materials. Staff will work at pop-up library events this summer and off-site locations such as the Moose Lodge and the Rainbow Center. The team will also perform at the Kellum building and the Suffolk Cooperative Library System to re-catalog and tag over 125,000 physical items with radio frequency identification tags (RFID). We will still have procedures to loan out WiFi hotspots, and Museum Passes throughout the summer to patrons.