By Michael Oliveira
The Town Council has approved the funding for a complete refurbishment of the Richards Memorial Library.
The cost for this work is estimated at $986,370, with $12,180.19 of the total being from the FY 2024 free cash budget. The request for the funding was passed unanimously by the Finance Committee due to the town finding unused money from other projects that have been previously completed.
The budget for this work includes $452,000 in contingency funding in the event the work goes over what the council has allocated.
“We think we will be able to cover this by value engineering when it’s appropriate to get the outcomes that we need from the building without going over the budget,” said Town Manager Michael Borg at the council’s meeting on Monday, March 11.
Some of the work to be done at the library include fixing the wheelchair ramp due to water from the ramp going towards the library, as well as replacing windows.
The library will remain open throughout time of the renvoations.
“The library is a treasure and I wholeheartedly support this” said Councilor Mark Gould Jr.
To accommodate the construction work, the town announced that four and a half parking spots will be blocked off on the south side of Grove Street near N. Washington Street during the refurbishment. The spots were closed off on Monday, March 11 and will remain so through early fall.
The parking spots in front of the library will remain open for patrons, one of which is a designated handicap spot.
“There are over 150 daily users of the library, there are a number of people who use the library who do not have access to the internet, or a computer,” said Council Vice President John Simmons. “It is a heavily used library.”
