1. What is planned for the proposed building?
The plan is for the library to remain on the existing site. The
modern portion of the building will be replaced with an addition
of 32,000 square feet. The original portions of the building (including
both the 1903 Howe Building and 1923 Ward Annex, which have more
historic design and classic detail) will be renovated and restored.
Overall, the plan calls for more space to accommodate increased
usage and growing collections, increased public space with comfortable
seating, a new children’s department (on the first floor),
a study and gathering space for teens, quiet areas with open and
private study rooms, more spacious and appropriate computer areas,
a comfortable magazine and newspaper room and a large meeting
room for public and civic functions.
2. How much will it cost?
The project will cost approximately $14.5 million. This cost
projection includes construction, demolition, relocation, and
temporary site costs -- basically all the elements needed to cover
the project from start to finish. The project budget also includes
design and construction contingencies, as well as escalation costs
to accommodate inflationary increases. The funding will be a partnership
of local funds, a state grant and private money from a fundraising
campaign.
3. How much is the state grant and how much will the project
cost the town?
The grant from the Massachusetts Public Library Construction
Program is $3,447,211. The town’s share of the project will
be about $9,190,000. Other funding will come from a fundraising
campaign and reserved Library State Aid funds.
4. What about fundraising?
The Board of Library Trustees has initiated a campaign to raise
$1.75 million for the project. These funds will be used for things
such as furniture, shelving, signage, and computer equipment.
The fundraising campaign has many components. It seeks both large
and small donations and has ways that individuals and businesses
can become involved and play a part in creating a legacy for future
library users.
5. Why do the plans call to stay on the current site instead
of moving somewhere else?
The Library Board began planning to address the facility problems
back in 1998. They hired library space planning consultants and
architects to conduct a variety of studies. Many of these studies
involved focus groups to gather ideas and concerns about the future
of the library from residents, library users and town officials.
From this work, a clear sentiment emerged that the existing library
building has both an historic and symbolic value to the community.
Many users expressed the idea that having the library at the heart
of the town was important. Further, they voiced a desire to maintain
a municipal presence on the common.
A more practical concern also played into the decision. Staying
at the existing site saved the cost of purchasing new land, and
provided a sizable existing structure, which could be incorporated
into construction.
Additionally, the quality of workmanship and architectural detail
of the 1903 building could not easily be replicated today and
would be cost prohibitive. And yet a public library building should
show evidence of the building’s importance to the community.
The original portions of the existing building do have such prominence
and should be preserved.
6. What about parking?
Parking is still one of the major challenges of this project.
The design calls for a reconfiguration of the parking lot to provide
an additional 16 spaces, a 35% increase in parking spaces, for
a total of 62 parking spaces.
Additionally, we have established overflow parking plans with
the Congregational Church and staff parking with the Shrewsbury
Credit Union. The Town Manager’s office is currently making
arrangements for overflow parking on evenings and weekends at
the medical building across the street from the library.
The Board of Library Trustees is committed to addressing the
issue further. The Board of Library Trustees is currently negotiating
arrangements for additional parking space for staff vehicles and
for securing additional land for public parking. This remains
a high priority for the Board in the months and years ahead.
7. Why is the proposed building so large? Isn’t the current
building sufficient?
The proposed building is 46,000 square feet. Designed to meet
the 20-year need of the community, the building will serve the
projected population of Shrewsbury in 2024.
This 20-year horizon is a state requirement. The Massachusetts
Public Library Construction Grant Program will not fund any library
building that will not serve its community for at least 20 years
into the future. And this makes good sense. Shrewsbury needs a
building that supports changing and growing needs. The level of
the community investment required for any building project should
be based on a plan that projects a long service life for the building.
The 1980 addition did not meet the state’s 20-year requirement
for population growth projections and was not eligible for a state
grant. It was a more limited expansion, which served us for a
short time. For example, the children’s room was too small
from the start, and space for teens or public computers was not
part of the projection. The 1980 expansion has exceeded its expected
service life. The current building is not meeting the demands
of today and has no ability to meet future demands.
8. Why don’t we just fix the problems with the building?
Below is a list of some of the repairs needed on the existing building:
BUILDING ENVELOPE
- Moisture proofing foundation of building
- Redesign roof system to control/mitigate leakage
- Repair slate roof
- Replace complete skylight system
- Repair roof on 1980 wing
DEFERRED MAINTENANCE
- Replace inefficient failing HVAC system – switching from
electric to gas
- Replace all ventilation ducts/systems as part of above
- Improve structural systems- for increased weight load capacity
in the 1980 wing
- Repair damaged exterior walls in courtyard area of basement
level
- Improve parking lot drainage, traffic flow, design
- Remove or restore shed
- Replace and upgrade IT systems, redesign network, replace and
upgrade all equipment
- Replace compromised structural support beam that supports the
roof structures at the junction of the old and new buildings
- Replace front walkway, to stop leakage into mechanical room
- Replace/repair ceilings and support beams in elevator mechanical
room
- Replace/improve lighting in modern wing and staff areas
- Replace/upgrade staff bathroom – and make handicap accessible
- Replace/upgrade children’s room bathroom – and make
handicap accessible
- Conceal/enclose exposed data and electrical cables
- Replace/repair rubble foundation wall in 1920 addition
- Provide environmental control system for local history room
We also know that if we undertake these repairs, we will trigger
certain building codes and then need to bring our building into
full compliance with state and federal handicap accessibility codes.
To do so, the following changes and improvements would need to be
made:
ACCESS
If we were to undertake the renovation, repair and construction
work needed to just “fix” the existing building we would:
- Trigger code compliance requirements (building codes, handicap
access codes, etc. ) that would mandate costly additional work
- Lose staff, public and collection space as we modify shelving,
doorways, elevators, stairs, etc., to provide full accessibility
- Spend $2.5 to 3 million to merely fix the problems
- Fail to provide any improvements or growth for the increased
demand and usage we see today -- or for any projected growth that
will come in the years ahead
- Expend considerable town resources for a library with decreased
functionality
- Have to fund such a project with local funds only. A project
that fails to meet the 20-year need of the community is not eligible
for a state construction grant.
A plan to merely “fix” existing problems would not
provide:
- Additional and appropriately designed space for
- people
- collections
- computers
- children
- teens
- Improved technology services
- Improved meeting room facilities
- Greater efficiencies for staff and public
- Room to accommodate growth
- Design flexibility to allow for changing services
9. What is the tax impact? What will the average homeowner pay
for this project?
The local share of the project will be based on temporary capital
debt exclusion, likely to be a 20-year bond.
The projected tax impact of the project can be found in the attached
chart.
The taxpayer can expect to pay $0.23, per $1,000 of tax valuation,
in the first year of the bond.
A typical home (with a value of $382,712) will see an increase
of $89.75 in the first year of the bond. In the 20th year, the
impact will decrease to $46.83 per year. And in the 21st year,
the bond will expire and there will be no further tax impact.
10. Why do we have to do this now?
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners does not offer
a construction grant round every year. In the past, the state
agency has implemented a grant round only every ten to fifteen
years. Over 200 Massachusetts communities have already benefited
from this grant program, and there are fewer communities in need
of this support each year. This translates into reduced political
will to initiate another grant round. We do not see this opportunity
for state funding arising for another 20 years or more, if at
all.
The timing is not of our choosing. It has been driven by:
- the availability of the grant program
- building code and access requirements
- growing user demand and usage of library services
Plans for this project began long before the current economic
downturn. A considerable investment of resources has been put
into the planning, and the grant opportunity is available now.
We cannot step away from those investments and opportunities.
11. When will the building be built?
Construction will begin when all funding has been secured.
We expect to have the grant money released to our community “sometime
between July 2007 and June 2008,” according to the Director
of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
The grant regulations allow six months for a community to secure
local financing. If the local funding is approved in advance,
we could move forward more quickly, avoiding further inflation
costs.
Once a contract is signed with the state, we would begin design
development. Next we would put the project out to bid and finally
sign a construction contract. State regulations allow nine months
for this work.
Construction is estimated to take eighteen months.
Using this schedule, if we received our grant in July 2007, and
we receive local funding now, we could expect to begin construction
in the spring of 2008.
The schedule is initiated by the release of the grant funds,
and the state controls that date.
12. How will we assure control of the construction project?
New state construction laws require that any project over $1.5
million utilize a Project Manager, in addition to a Clerk of the
Works. Project Management is useful in cost control as well as
construction oversight. We know we will also benefit from the
experience and knowledge of various professionals and officials
within the town. There is a great pool of experience developed
from other town building projects, which we hope to draw upon
for this project. There is also a strong commitment on the part
of the Library Board of Trustees and administration to adequately
control and supervise this project and maximize the town’s
investment.
We also know that library design has developed and improved over
the years. We have moved beyond designing for aesthetics alone.
Library designers have learned to pay careful attention to functionality,
building efficiencies and durability.
13. Will we need additional staff?
The proposed building is just less than double the size of the
current building. The projected operating budget for the larger
“new building” includes one additional part time position,
that of a reference librarian. This projection, however, is based
on the understanding that new technology measures will be introduced
to help control staffing costs.
Such technology improvements include:
- Implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology
in our library, to allow greater efficiency for a variety of
library transactions and activities, as well as self-checkout
for public use. The Board of Library Trustees formed a committee,
in April 2006, to study this issue.
- A major reconfiguration of the terminals that are connected
to our regional library network consortium C/W MARS, to provide
more staff stations
- Integration of more software and web-based programs to support
library activities, such as summer reading club programs, meeting
room booking, and more
If RFID technology is not implemented as part of the construction
project, we estimate the need for three additional full-time positions:
a Reference Librarian, a Children’s Librarian and a Circulation
Assistant.
It is projected that circulation of library materials (the number
of items checked out) will increase in the new building, so there
will be a request to increase our paging staff. (Pages are part-time
staff, typically students, hired to re-shelve materials and keep
shelves in order.) It’s important to note, however, that
increases in page hours have already been requested in recent
years. In FY2007 there was a slight increase to funding for page
hours, but with circulation growing each year, we fully expect
to request additional page hours in future budget years. This
will be true whether the building is expanded or not.
Additional custodial support will be needed as well – likely
to be contractual workers.
14. Aren’t libraries obsolete? We all have Internet access
at home. We won’t even need the library.
Public libraries across the nation are busier than ever, and
Shrewsbury Public Library is no exception. The usage statistics
for the last decade show amazing growth.
Borrowing:
In 1994 library users in Shrewsbury borrowed 234,391 items from
the library. In 2004 that number had increased by 42% to 333,712
items borrowed.
? It is interesting to note that during that same period the
population grew from 24,656 to 33,161, only a 34% growth. So the
increase in borrowing outstripped the increase in population.
? Also consider the annual per capita circulation in 2004, which
was 10 books for every resident.
Not only are library users borrowing books, DVDs, audio books
and magazines from our library. They are using the library to
borrow items from other libraries as well. The inter-library loan
service is growing tremendously. In 1994 only 1,204 items were
borrowed from other libraries for Shrewsbury residents. In 2004
they borrowed more than 13,000 items- 980% growth in inter-library
loan use in just 10 years.
And people visit the library without checking out books for many
reasons. Visitors use library computers to search the Internet,
check email accounts, and keep track of job searches. They research
local history materials and use reference books. They use study
tables to complete homework assignments and prepare presentations
for work. They spend time in the children’s room visiting
with other parents and allowing children to play with educational
games. They stop by to read newspapers or magazines. The library
is a destination for many people, and it’s clear that idea
is growing. 95,808 people visited the library in 1994. In 2005
this number rose to 218,228 visits. That’s more than 130%
growth in eleven years. Our library is not obsolete, nor will
it become so.
Also worth remembering is that many people don’t have Internet
access at home and depend upon the library for that connection
to the greater world. Computer use is growing in libraries. Library
public access computers now get used approximately 1,000 times
per month.
We also have a role to play in helping people navigate this new
electronic world and learn the skills needed to keep up and even
thrive in our changing world. The library offers classes on searching
the Internet, creating resumes, searching online reference databases,
and much more. These classes are consistently fully booked, with
long waiting lines of people waiting for a chance to learn new
skills. Technology education is an essential component of life-long
learning, and the public library plays an important part in providing
such opportunities.
As our world becomes so strongly driven by technology, the library’s
traditional role as a community center becomes even more important.
We provide a place for people to come together; whether meeting
informally such as a group of parents meeting in the children’s
room, or for a formal meeting of a community group in a large
meeting room or one of the small group study rooms. People use
the library as a place to connect with others. The library as
a community center plays a vital role in providing the interpersonal
and civic connections that people need.
15. Why not build a branch?
The various expenses of building a branch library would be prohibitive:
land acquisition, design costs, and construction costs. In addition
to the construction costs, one must consider the operating costs
of running a branch. The largest costs in any library budget (whether
it be a main library or a small branch) are in three areas: staffing,
utilities and collections. Adding duplicate costs for staffing,
collections and utilities would further stress already tight municipal
resources. And building a branch would not eliminate the need
to repair and expand the existing library building.
16. What about competing demands in the community?
The public library is one of the few town institutions that serves
ALL, from infants to senior citizens. We also support other departments
and organizations in town, such as the schools, civic groups,
etc.
Furthermore, the library has a number of facility issues (deferred
maintenance, building envelope problems, and access issues) that
must be addressed now. Further delays will result in higher costs
and loss of state support for a solution.
The Fire Station improvement plan was recently approved by the
town. A school project will be planned in the future, but the
School Building Assistance Program is uncertain at this time.
In terms of overall capital planning for the town, this is the
best time for the library project. The Board of Selectmen has
included the library project in the town’s Capital Plan
for fiscal year 2008.
17. What about libraries in other departments of the town? Such
as the schools, the Senior Center, and the Town Hall (which holds
law books in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room)?
Those libraries are not open to the public. They are not staffed
to accommodate large numbers of users. Their collections are narrow
in focus, intended to serve specific audiences, sometimes only
one or two grade levels. They do not have the facilities, the
collections or the staff to deal with the large numbers of users
– of all ages – who use public libraries.
Furthermore, security in our schools is a serious concern. The
idea of integrating public library service into school libraries
is not as simple as it appears. A basic precept of the public
library is that it is open to all. By state law, our public library
serves residents of Shrewsbury as well as members of other communities.
We serve people of all ages and backgrounds. Mixing open public
access of the public library with the safety goals of the public
school system presents considerable security challenges.
19. How will this affect the library’s operating budget
during the project?
There will be little effect on the operating budget during construction.
The town funding used to operate the library will be used to run
a temporary site.
20. How will this affect the library’s operating budget
after the project?
We estimate that the operating budget for the new building will
be approximately 30% higher than that of the current building.
Cost increases will be seen in such areas as utilities, cleaning
services, and equipment maintenance and service contracts. There
is also a projection for adding one part-time reference librarian.
Limiting staff growth to this level, however, is dependent on
the implementation of various technology initiatives.
These initiatives include:
- Converting the collection and systems to RFID technology,
which would allow greater efficiencies on check-out and check-in
transactions, self-check out options for patrons, more efficient
collection inventories, and more time saving changes.
- Reconfiguration of existing library network system (C/W MARS)
staff access points, providing more work stations to allow staff
to adequately serve the public and perform administrative and
support functions.
- Implementation of various software or web-based services
to support programs, such as summer reading club programs, staff
scheduling, room booking activities, etc.
FOR MORE INFORMATION…….
Library Director Ellen M. Dolan at 508-841-8537 or edolan@th.ci.shrewsbury.ma.us
Assistant Library Director, George Brown at 508-842-8531 or gbrown@cwmars.org
|
