WESTBOROUGH – The next phase of the Westborough Public Library’s repair project received a thumbs up from the town’s Advisory Finance Committee.
On Thursday, Feb. 22, following a presentation by the Library Building Committee’s Ed Baldwin and Bob Petrucelli, the committee voted 8-0 to recommend the borrowing of $1.604 million toward design costs.
If approved at Town Meeting in March, the funds will be used for design development, construction documents and bidding.
These documents will be then presented at Town Meeting in spring 2025, at which time a vote will be taken to construct the project, currently estimated at $14.2 million.
With the $360,000 for schematic design, the total cost is estimated at $16.2 million.
Baldwin said the repair project would help with essential maintenance, such as window restoration and roof replacement, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, plumbing, energy and other codes.
He also offered a glimpse of what the library would look like once construction is finished in 2026 – a relocated teen room next to the local history room; a restored adult reading room; a new storage area for the local history room; more restrooms on the main and lower floors; and an information technology closet on the top floor.
Baldwin said the project costs cover “everything related to the project,” from consultants and furniture to moving and storage costs.
Some committee members asked about some of the line items, such as a traffic study and a hazmat coordinator. Baldwin replied that the Library Building Committee wanted to cover as many contingencies as possible, and those items may be removed from the list if they are deemed unnecessary.
When asked whether the library could open a satellite branch at the community center, Baldwin said it’s not likely because of current staffing levels. He said that the library has reached out to sites like the senior center.
There was also a question about other funding sources. Baldwin said there’s the Westborough Public Library Foundation, which was created in 2016 to raise $1 million toward what was then the renovation and expansion project.
The foundation’s page, and the repair project, may be accessed through the library’s home page, https://www.westboroughlibrary.org/.
