MEETING MATTERS
FORBUSH MEMORIAL LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES FRIDAY, OCT. 12, 2007
Compiled by Caitlyn Kelleher Journal Reporter

Top story:

The Board of Trustees met to briefly to discuss the planning for the upcoming renovation project.

The board decided to go with an asphalt shingle roof that will look like the slate roof, which is on the front of the original building.

"You have a relatively small roof," said Maury Wolfe, of DiMarinisi & Wolfe, Architects, the project's architect.

The trustees had considered going with a metal roof but ruled that out based on Wolfe's recommendation about costs, warranties and installation.

"New England roofers aren't that good with metal roofs," he said. The trustees and the Library Building Committee are preparing to put the project out to bid at the end of November so a special town meeting can be held in January. At that meeting voters will be asked to appropriate money based on the actual cost of the project.

The renovation will include redoing the exterior of the building, repairing the roof, especially the area over the Eloranta Room, as well as related repairs such as changes to the electrical system and window replacement.

The trustees had previously decided to design the building with a brick exterior. Wolfe said he had found two potential brick suppliers that had material similar to that on the original building.

"The issue with bricks these days is transportation" which is driving up the cost, Wolfe said.

In other news:

• Trustee Walt Haney has been working with others to re-inventory the 1901 book collection.

"We have to define the 1901 collection," he said.

He said the problem right now is that books published after 1901 are part of the collection.

The trustees also decided they should determine which books would be cataloged and therefore accessible for public use. Haney said there are also books in the collection that have special connections to Westminster and should therefore be separated and saved as well.some of the warrant questions but did not change any of the board's recommendations to the Town Meeting voters.