Library Building Project

• The Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP) is a grant program managed by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC). It was first funded by a state bond authorization in 1987. Since then, the MPLCP has helped build 62 new library buildings and 169 addition, renovation, and conversion projects.
• Grants are awarded based on the needs of the community, the current state of the library being added to or replaced, and the local economy. 

• Schwartz/Silver Architects will present three different design concepts for the public to consider on Thursday, September 11th at the Discovery Center's Great Hall at 6:00PM. Please consider attending and providing feedback!
• The architects are working on designs that will fit in with the Avenue A streetscape. A new library will be two stories, about as tall as the neighboring Crocker building, and will have a brick facade.

• In 1915 the Trustees of the Carnegie Library realized their new building wasn’t big enough to serve the community. Since then, plans for expansion have been unsuccessful. We have been making do with a too-small, inaccessible space for over 100 years.
• Through the state‘s library construction program, we have the chance to construct a new library to meet the evolving needs of the patrons we serve. This opportunity will not come again for another 5 to 8 years.

Specific building issues include:

Inaccessibility: 

• Though there is a wheelchair ramp, many portions of the library are not accessible to those using a wheelchair or walker, including the whole second floor, the basement where the Friends of the Library hold their book sales, the public restroom, as well as the fiction, non-fiction, DVD, audiobook, or local history collections. 

Lack of adequate collection space:

• For every item that is purchased for the Carnegie Library, one must be removed.
• Though library staff take pride in purchasing a diverse and varied collection of materials to suit the many interests and needs of the community, we are regularly forced to get rid of items that are only a few years old to make room for new items.
• A lack of room also means that we do not have space for collections that the community has expressed much interest in, including more graphic novels, manga, indigenous history, etc.

Lack of quiet or comfortable study space:

• With room for only two armchairs in Carnegie’s reading room, there’s little space for patrons to sit and read or work.
• The reading room must also fit the libraries’ public computers, fax/copy machine, non-fiction collections, magazines, and newspapers in a space under 300sq/ft.
• It is difficult, if not impossible, to navigate that space in a walker, wheelchair, or with a stroller.
• The space is so cramped that it is physically difficult and/or uncomfortable for library staff to assist patrons with computer questions.

Lack of effective staff space: 

• There is no non-public staff space on the first floor, so books and other materials must be carried either up or down a flight of stairs to be processed for circulation.
• Staff work in cramped conditions behind the circulation desk, and most do not have workstations of their own.
• There’s a disconnect between those working with the public on the first floor and those on the other floors. The Library Director, Library Technician, and Youth Services Librarian can’t see or hear if there’s a line at the desk, if a patron needs in-depth assistance, or if a patron is hassling a staff member. This could potentially lead to dangerous situations.

Inadequate children’s and teen spaces:

• The children’s room is very small. There is no space for adult chairs, which would allow caregivers to read to their children.
• There is no space for children’s computers.
• There is also limited space for children to meet other children to foster play and healthy socialization skills nor is there space for parents to meet other parents and build community.
• The teen collection is very small and located close to the children’s picture books, making for a patently uncool teen hang spot.

Inadequate programming and meeting space: 

• Though the second floor of the library previously provided program space, we are no longer allowed to use it, by law, because it is inaccessible.
• There is limited space and inadequate technology to support small meetings or large programs.

Inefficient and non-resilient systems: 

• While the quality of the air at the Carnegie was improved by the installation of an ERV some years ago, the building’s systems are not efficient.
• The building is heated and cooled with costly oil and electric systems that leave parts of the library boiling and other parts freezing. This makes for a space that is uncomfortable to work or spend time in.
• Inefficient systems also use more energy than they should and cost extra tax-payer dollars to run.
• As the library is relied upon more and more heavily to serve as a cooling or warming center during periods of extreme weather, the ability of the building to respond to these weather extremes becomes more important. 

• On Wednesday, August 13th, both the Library Building Steering Committee and the Library Trustees unanimously voted to move forward with constructing a new main library at 38 Avenue A. 
  
  During Schwartz/Silver's site feasibility investigation, they found that in order to meet the Massachusetts Historic Commission's preservation requirements, which disallow an addition to the side of the building, and to gain enough square footage for our project goals, the Carnegie Library would need to be picked up off of its foundation and moved two dozen feet closer to Avenue A and the adjacent multi-family home would need to be demolished. That option would cost $5 million dollars more than constructing a new library building and still wouldn't include any additional parking. These factors made the decision to construct a new building much easier. You can view Schwartz/Silver's presentation, including the selection matrix that shows the pros and cons of each option.

Post-Award Timeline

January 2025: Library Commissioners voted to approve immediately funded and waitlisted grant recipients; MBLC contracts executed with grant recipients

Montague was one of just seven towns across the Commonwealth to receive immediate project funding!

January 2025 - December 2025: Planning & Design for Standard Grant recipients

Soon after receiving award notification, the Library Building Steering Committee (LBSC) was formed and approved by the Selectboard to oversee the library building project. 

Per state recommendations, the committee is made up of a combination of Library Trustees, town staff, and Montague residents and includes: Will Quale, Lydia ievans, Tricia Perham, Chris Nolan-Zeller, Caitlin Kelley, David Dempsey, Ariel Elan, Dorinda Bell-Upp, and Josh Lively.

After town admin executed the grant contract with the Commonwealth, the Library Building Steering Committee put together a request for qualifications for an Owners Project Manager (OPM).

Our selected firm, Downes Construction, assisted the Library Building Steering Committee with searching for and selecting an architectural firm to design the project.

The LBSC hired Schwartz/Silver as our design firm. Our project leads investigated the Carnegie Library, its grounds, and adjacent properties as well as the site at 38 Avenue A to determine the cost and feasibility of building on each site. Their findings and recommendations were presented to the trustees and the community. 

Ultimately, the Library Building Steering Committee chose to build new based on that site's ability to support the size of a building that we need and the fact that it's much more financially viable for the taxpayers.  They made that recommendation to the Library Trustees, who unanimously voted to approve the site. 

Next, the architects will put together several designs for the community to review. There will be ample opportunity for residents to weigh in on the project.

Once a design is finalized, we'll send it off to the state for review along with a cost estimate from an independent estimator.

December 2025 - January 2026: Independent review of MPLCP Level of Design

The state will review our designs by their guidelines.

February 2026: Estimates based on MPLCP Level of Design; Construction phase grant awards calculated

March 2026: Commissioners vote to approve Construction phase grant awards

March - June 2026: Certified votes for local approvals and appropriations for Construction phase local funding

After the town learns how much the library building project will cost and how much of that cost the state will cover, then town administration will estimate the amount of money that the town is responsible for and needs to appropriate. 

May 2026: The town will put a debt exclusion ballot initiative article before town meeting members. Should the initiative pass, then the project would be placed on the ballot to be voted on by all Montague voters.

June 2026 - June 2027: Design work from completion of schematic design through construction documents

July 2027: Bidding

August 2027: Construction contracts for projects (usually 16 to 24 months)

A new or improved library space would be fully accessible and include:

• A large community room for library programs that community groups can book
• A children's room with space for play, reading with caregivers, and collections for children of all ages
• A children's program room for early literacy programming and activities of all kinds
• A separate teen area that teens actually want to hang out in
• A quiet study rooms for solo or small group work with all the technology needed to take video calls, etc.
• A cozy reading room with comfortable chairs, worktables, and plenty of outlets
• An accessible local history room, where photos, documents and artifacts can be safely stored and displayed and that can also serve as a meeting or program space
• Staff workspaces would be centralized to improve efficiency and ease of patron access to various different kinds of services, from in-depth research help, technology assistance, reader’s advisory, circulation assistance, and more!

• If the project passes in May, 2026, the new building will be located at 38 Avenue A, which is the lot across from town hall and next to the Discovery Center. A Cumberland Farms previously occupied the lot but was closed decades ago and demolished in the summer of 2023.
• 38 Avenue A is owned by the town and overseen by the town’s Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC). The EDIC is charged with selecting a project to build on 38 Ave A and agreed to not sell the lot for the duration of the planning and design phase.

• No. Our library construction grant requires that we either build an addition onto our current building OR construct a new library building on the site specified in our grant proposal: 38 Avenue A.
• Years ago, at the beginning of this process, Steve Ellis and Walter Ramsey identified three town-owned sites that might be suitable for a new library building. They included 11 Power St (AKA the old Railroad Salvage building), the First Street municipal parking lot, and 38 Avenue A. At the time, we identified 38 Avenue A as the most advantageous site out of the three for a library building project. Since then, both of the other options have been set aside to address the community's housing needs.

From town consultant, Ann Burke:

Keeping municipal buildings downtown is important because :

• They are destination drivers - frequently bringing people downtown to conduct business with the city , attend meetings , participate  on committees and boards, get information etc.  If you move these important functions out of the downtown, it has a direct impact on businesses that serve these people and employee.
• Citizens and visitors frequently purchase other things while in the downtown.  They may shop, have a coffee or a meal, meet friends and socialize.
• Government buildings employ people who are in the downtown every day and provide that customer base to support shops restaurants and businesses.
• Municipal services activate buildings and sometimes are tenants to private property owners and important economic contributors to sustain real estate.
• They create foot traffic.

• Montague has already been approved for state funding. In May of 2026, after most of the design work has been completed, town meeting members will vote whether to add the project to a ballot measure, which requires 2/3 majority vote to pass. If they vote to create a ballot measure, then some weeks/months later, the town would have to vote to approve the project, which requires a majority vote to pass. The project will only move forward to the construction phase if both votes pass.

• Yes! There will be several opportunities for the public to weigh in on the project and potential designs. Check our calendar for future events.

• While the future of the Carnegie is unknown at this time, the building itself will never be in jeopardy because it has a historic preservation restriction on it, meaning that its facade cannot be altered and the building cannot be torn down. If we can't find a non-profit or cultural institution to purchase the building, then the town would submit a request for purchase, with rules for what the building can or cannot be used for.

• Nothing will change with the branches. A requirement of the MPLCP application was a “Comprehensive Service Plan,” which details how a new or improved building would affect multi-branch libraries. In ours, we noted that there would be no changes to branch operations, hours, or services, which the Selectboard approved of.

• We loosely estimate the total project cost will be more than the DPW facility ($9.86 million), but less than Greenfield’s Library ($20 million). Because the state is going to pay for up to 67% of eligible costs, and 50-55% of total project costs, the amount of money that Montague taxpayers are responsible for will most likely be less than the DPW facility. 

  We should have hard numbers in late November or early December at which time we'll host a community event explaining the potential impact on Montague's taxes.

   

• We’re not sure yet. The Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program will pay for 60% of the first $5 million dollars spent, 45% of the next $5 million dollars spent, and 35% of the next $5 million dollars spent. That number will form our base award, then an additional 17.53% will be added on top of that, due to Montague’s economic need. The state will pay up to 67% of eligible costs, which we estimate will be a little more than half of the total project costs, but we won’t have solid numbers until Winter 2026. 

• Since other town debt will be paid off around the same time that this project would need town funding, there should be a more limited impact on taxes. That said, we won’t have exact figures until we know how much the project is going to cost.

• The new space is being designed to maximize sightlines so that staff will be safer and able to oversee large spaces without needing additional staff.
• The libraries are requesting an Adult Services Coordinator position, to start in FY27, to meet existing programming, technology, and local history resource needs in the community. (7/10 libraries with similar populations to Montague have this kind of staff position already.) Assuming this role is filled, the only other position we may hire for is a 6-12 hour/week position to cover the children's desk during evenings and weekends.
• The only other additional cost anticipated at this time is for patron: 10 for adults, 2 for children, 2 for tweens, and 4 for teens. The Carnegie currently only has four computers for patrons.

• Talk to your friends, neighbors, community leaders, and town meeting members about the Carnegie Library, the unmet needs of the community, and the opportunity we have to fund a good portion of the project with state monies. Talk about the ways that an expanded or new library building could fill these needs. Montague deserves a library facility that fully serves the community.
• The Friends of the Libraries of the Montague Public Libraries will start fundraising for this project in the next few months. Please consider joining the Friends group and/or attending future fundraising events.