End of September for Ashby Library
Original building still needs updates to open
By Caitlyn Kelleher

The Ashby Free Public Library during construction.

Town Administrator Linda Sanders told library trustees the construction and the move into the new library will be completed by the end of September.

The carpet was scheduled to arrive and be installed by Saturday, Sept. 9. This will allow a punch list of remaining items to be created, the furniture to be delivered and for the stacks books to be moved in, according to Sanders - who is serving as project manager - at the boards Aug. 28 meeting.

"We have a number of volunteers already who are waiting to get called to help us move," said Trustee Sally Bauman.

The trustees are also working on organizing the parts of the updates on the original building. This work includes cleaning and repairing part of the floor, repairing the leaks in the roof, the eaves and the downspouts, repairing a small area of the foundation, painting the walls and adding a air handling unit.

"This is all not part of the project but have become part of the project," Sanders said. "But they have to get fixed or we won't get an certificate of occupancy permit."

This work is expected to cost around $20,000, which trustees are hoping that some will come from the Ashby Free Public Library Fund and the rest will come from a grant and interest from the money raised in fund-raisers.

The trustees did a walk through of the building a week before their meeting and asked Sanders to check on a few things.

"The meeting room still seems partially undone," Trustee Lisa Gordon said. "The whole room looks half taken down and half put back up."

Sanders said she would look into that as well as a hanging-light that appeared to be in the middle of a room.

Sanders also reported that she had come to an agreement with the general contractor on specific time delays.

"Nobody was thrilled and nobody was devastated," she said.

She said the contractor took responsibility for the delays from the subcontractors who weren't working because they hadn't gotten paid by the contractor and the town took responsibility for other deals because its engineer had not provided drawings on time.

The only delay that Sanders and the contractor could not reach a compromise on was the delay to the scheduled opening because the wrong colored carpet was delivered.

"That's the only thing that we couldn't come to agreement about," she said. "We are holding the money."

The trustees plan to begin coordinating a dedication ceremony and a grand opening in the near future.

The trustees decided to continue their summer hours until the date to move from the temporary library in the basement of town hall to the renovated library is set and possibly until the move is completed.

The hours will continue to be Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

In other business:

 The trustees are continuing to look for an interim library director. They are looking for someone with public library experience and hopefully someone with experience through a move.

"It will be nice to be able to have someone here with experience that is up to speed and can bring us up to speed," Gordon said. "It will be nice to have someone who can see us through the move plus."

The trustees are going to try to advertise through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

 Mike Russell, of Ashby, asked the trustees about the hiring process used to hire Jeanie Lindquist as the library assistant.

Russell is former library director Marja LePoer's son-in-law.

Bauman said they selection committee reviewed the 26 applicants to come up with four candidates to interview. She said many of the applications did not have the minimum requirements of an associates degree and experience.

She said four candidates were interviewed and two were presented to the Board of Trustees and the trustees voted unanimously to hire Lindquist.