Published: 9/11/2020 4:03:20 PM
Modified: 9/11/2020 4:02:48 PM
GREENFIELD — The new library project is “on time and on budget,” according to its project manager.
Daniel Pallotta, of Johnson Roberts Associates of Somerville, said design development — the second design phase of the project — is complete. Schematic designs were completed months ago and construction drawings will be completed in the final phase. He shared renderings of the building this week.
The first floor will include the children’s room, new books and periodicals, a meeting room, returns, an area for staff and a conference room. The second floor will include adult fiction, a quiet study area and a reading area.
“We haven’t had to reduce any space,” Pallotta said. “We’re on track, on target, and will be working toward bidding in late February or early March. All of that is due in early April.”
Based on state requirements, the city should break ground by April 21, but could ask for an extension if needed.
“The project is contingent on what’s happening with the Fire Station,” he said. “We’ve been working with the department and we’re making great progress.”
The vision of a new library has been discussed since at least 2012, and Ed Berlin, co-chair of the Greenfield Public Library’s Building Committee, has said he’s happy it’s finally within reach. He said it could possibly open as early as the end of 2022.
“We are absolutely thrilled about this,” Berlin said earlier this summer. “This new library is going to be so special.”
Late last year, Greenfield voters approved building a new library with a 61 percent positive vote. The state has promised $9.4 million for the project, leaving the city to pay about $10.1 million. The Greenfield Public Library Foundation has said it will contribute about $2 million, reducing the city’s cost to about $8.1 million.
The foundation announced in July that it had received a $500,000 donation from artist Hale Johnson, whose wife Lorraine died in 2016. Johnson said he sought a way to acknowledge her contribution to his career and her volunteer work as a member of the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library. He chose to honor her memory by giving $500,000 to the Greenfield Public Library Foundation that will support the construction of the new library.
Berlin said everyone is enthusiastic about the project and working hard to see it through. Three advisory committees have been working with the Building Committee — artisans and craftspeople, landscapers and teens.
The Building Committee has had lengthy discussions on all aspects of the building, including energy efficiency, maintenance, landscaping and configuration, Berlin said. There have even been talks to make the library “pandemic safe.” For instance, the committee has discussed touchless doors, bathroom fixtures and lighting.
The new library will sit between the current one and the post office, and there will be parking on the north side of the building in the back. The building will be set back from Main Street at about the same distance as the post office and current library.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.
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