Friday, October 7, 2011

New Library Update

Work on the new Main Library is on schedule and within budget. By October 1, the project was thirty percent complete. Second floor framing of interior walls has begun. Steel roof frames and interior door frames are being constructed. Sheathing, skylight installation, and roofing are also underway. First and second floor masonry work is progressing. In October work on High Street utility connections will begin.

TLT Construction plans to have the structure fully enclosed before the winter. The current schedule calls for the contents of the Main Library to be moved into the new building in early May 2012. At that time work will begin on shelving library materials, furniture will delivered, new computers set-up, the radio-frequency identification system installed, and the staff trained on new equipment.

With the sale of the Colburn School, the original construction schedule will be revised to allow TLT Construction to complete paving and landscape work after the school is moved to the site of the current library. This change will ensure that no damage occurs to the parking and entry court areas. This year’s Town Meeting gave the Board of Selectmen the authority to sell the Colburn School.

An opening date for the 32,000 square foot Main Library will be made next year. Construction photos and the library’s current schedule can be found at www.westwoodlibrary.org