2009-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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i Report of the Library Director To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and Citizens of the Town of Mashpee It's hard to believe that we have spent the last 18 months in our temporary home on Joy ST while the new library is under construction. The time has sped by and we're only a few months away from moving back into our beautiful, new library. It was just about a year ago (January 2009) that a group of library staff, trustees, town officials and library supporters gathered for the official groundbreaking ceremony. As luck would have it, it began to snow on the chosen day just before the groundbreaking and was bitter cold. Our general contractor, Bufftree Builders, j loosened up the soil and covered the area with tarps so we were able to dig in and toss our ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt. Prior to starting construction, Mashpee had been on a waiting list for grant funding for two and a half years. We weren't able to start building until that piece of the funding was in hand. Beginning in 2005, we watched the cost of construction materials soar and doubted whether or not we'd be able to afford furnishings by the time we reached the top of the list. The recession, which has been difficult for so many people, turned out to be an unanticipated blessing for the project. The bids we received were very competitive and well within our budget. The project costs were able to cover everything we needed to build the new library. The project has moved along very smoothly under the oversight of the Mashpee Planning and Construction Committee, chaired by Steve Cook. Thank you to Steve and the Committee for a well run project. In addition to the Committee, we also owe thanks to Project Manager Rick Pomroy, Architect J. Stewart Roberts and his staff and Bufftree Builders of New Bedford for keeping the project on time and under budget thus far. The most difficult part of the building project was weather related. In June, the Cape experienced "" six weeks of almost daily rains, just as it was time to put down the vapor barrier and roof shingles. The vapor barrier was designed to be glued to the underlying plywood, requiring several consecutive dry days for installation. Rarely did we have more than a single day without rain. Bufftree Builders worked around the weather conditions as best as they could; shifting to other aspects of the building while they waited for those few dry days to arrive. Once the roof shingles were in place, the photovoltaic panels were installed on the south facing roof. The photovoltaic panels, combined with a very energy efficient induction heating system and heavy insulation will help make the ongoing utility costs affordable yet keep the building at a comfortable temperature. Bufftree Builders were even able to make up time lost to bad weather and were back on schedule by the fall. As I write this, the exterior of the building and grounds is completed. In January 2010, the interior work will be completed. Library shelving, phones and computers will be installed in February and the library will move back to Steeple Street in time for an early spring reopening. The excitement is mounting for staff and patrons. Not a day goes by that we don't hear how r beautiful the structure is and get asked when we'll be moving in. We hear some comments on the large size of the building from those who are surprised at the size. While it seems very large now, it's a building we will grow into. One of the requirements of taking state funding was that we plan a building that would last at least twenty years. The size of the building was planned for the population that will live in Mashpee in 2030. This building 145