Committee suggests going with brick for library exterior
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Maury Wolfe, of the architectural firm DeMaris & Wolfe, presented five options to the Library Building Committee on Tuesday but one was the committee's favorite.

The building committee instructed Wolfe to proceed with construction documents for an entirely brick exterior as part of the renovation project to replace the building's exterior. The other options presented are a titanium zinc exterior or a combinations of the brick and the zinc.

"It's essentially the same cost," Wolfe said.

Committee members did not like the entirely zinc exterior.

Member Preston Baker said he preferred the mix of zinc and brick, if they had to pick one option that included zinc. But Baker did not think town meeting would support any of the zinc options.

Over the course of the last few years the building has had a number of issues with leaking and mold because the efface material used for the building's original renovation was a poor material for New England.

Wolfe said he looked at a number of potential building materials including brick, two types of metal paneling and preformed concrete. He said the preformed concrete and one of the metal panelings would be more expensive because of the shape of the building.

"There is no economy of scale," he said. "It's actually a small project so you are going to pay a premium no matter what you do."

Wolfe said special ordering a brick would increase the cost of the project but that he would be able to get something close to the brick on the orginal building. The orginal building would not be touched as part of the renovation.

The designs for the building don't recreate the decorative chimneys' on the addition.

The goal is to bid out the project before Christmas and to be able to present a final cost to voters at a special town meeting in January. The committee also plans to present all of the options to voters at the fall town meeting to determine if voters do prefer the zinc.

In other business:

• The building committee also discussed the potential of relocation the library into the old town hall on Bacon Street during construction.

"The biggest issue is you'd probably want to put in two bathrooms," said Wolfe.

Neither of the bathrooms in the old town hall are handicap accessible and because the building would be open to public use there is a handicap accessibility requirement.

One of the other ideas the committee discussed was not replacing either of the bathrooms but instead adding a third, unisex, handicap accessible one. Baker is going to work with Wolfe to try to determine which of the options complies with the laws and is the most inexpensive.

Wolfe has walked through the old town hall with the town's building inspector, Bob Thorell, and they agreed no large stacks would be allowed to hold books because of the structural strength of the floor.

The fire alarm in the building still works but because of the fire safety requirements the second and third floors of the building would be closed off.

There would be some additional costs for the move and a proposal will be developed for voters to consider the appropriation of money at the fall town meeting. It is expected a fall town meeting will be held in November.

• The building committee asked Wolfe why the structural supports had not been added to the Eloranta Room, which was deemed structural unsound because of cracks in the ceiling during the spring. Voters appropriated money at the May town meeting because town officials were told it was an emergency situation.

Wolfe said both bids received for the project were above the amount appropriated at the town meeting and neither company submitted all the needed paperwork. So he is working with Town Coordinator Karen Murphy to determine the next step.

"How much of an emergency is it?" asked Committee Chairman Dana Altobelli, questioning whether the shoring of the ceiling could just be built into the rest of the renovation project.

The room has not been used by the public since the spring and Altobelli said he was not suggesting the room be open to the public.

"The cracks are wider then they were in April," said Library Director Margaret Howe.

Wolfe said the problem with waiting until the rest of the construction to begin is that all of the engineers want the ceiling supported before they go into the attic to determine the reason for the problem.