Grafton Public Library Planning and Building Committee

Building Status Report

35 Grafton Common

October 24, 2012

The Grafton Public Library Planning and Building Committee is working diligently and on track to meet the deadlines for full accessibility compliance as mandated by the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (AAB) on April 9, 2012 and to identify and address building maintenance issues.

After a competitive bid process, the firm LLB Architects was hired by the Town to perform a full accessibility review and a building condition assessment of the Grafton Public Library located at 35 Grafton Common and develop architectural plans to address the four existing ADA compliance violations.  Funding for this inspection and the development of the architectural plans used existing library funds.

On September 11, 2012, LLB Architects provided preliminary results of their study and presented prioritized recommendations to the Board of Selection and representatives from the Library Planning and Building Committee.

Phase 1 – Provide full accessibility to the Children’s Room and the Main Reading Room as well as a new handicap accessible restroom at an estimated cost of $237K to address the 4 existing ADA compliance violations.  This work has been fully funded using a combination of existing CPC funds and additional funds approved by the Town at the May, 2012 Town Meeting.

Phase 2 – Address library building maintenance, safety and accessibility issues.  The costs of the identified items were estimated and were prioritized into categories as follows:

Cost Estimate                  Description

$140K                  Category 1 – Require immediate attention.  The items fall into the categories of Building Code, Fire Code, Emergency Lighting and Maintenance

$48K                  Category 2 – Require attention in 0-5 years  The items fall into the categories of Building Code, Protection of Property, and Maintenance

Funding for these issues was voted on and passed at the October 15, 2012 Town Meeting. Phases 1 and 2 will be combined into one project for bidding and construction purposes, this will help to control the cost of the project and reduce disruption to the Library.

Please note the costs for both phases are estimates.  The work for both phases will be submitted for competitive bid by the Town Administrator’s office following the approved Town of Grafton procurement guidelines.

We are anticipating an early Spring 2013 construction start and completion during the Summer of 2013. More information about the potential construction impact to Library services will be made available as a detailed construction plan is developed.

Sincerely,

The Grafton Library Planning and Building Committee