Library Site Upgrade Could Start In Spring

CHATHAM – Long-awaited work to improve the grounds of the Eldredge Public Library to improve accessibility and safety could get underway as early as March. Project team members provided an update to the select board last week and said they hope to have the project ready to go out to bid shortly.

 The site improvements, which do not involve any changes to the library building itself, have had a “long arc” of planning and development, Principal Projects and Operations Administrator Terry Whalen told the board on Nov. 25. Spanning back to the pandemic, the project received $1.1 million in funding from town meeting in 2021, and the removal of two old shade trees on the front lawn prompted much discussion in 2023. The ultimate objective was to replace the steps that lead from the Main Street sidewalk to the library with a sloped pathway compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, allowing people with mobility problems to reach the Library Lane entrance from Main Street via a redesigned circular walkway across the library’s front lawn.

 In the last year and a half, the project has had other changes, with a landscaping plan that includes an outdoor classroom area and a front lawn that is more level to accommodate outdoor programming, Whalen said. Re-pitching the accessways also necessitated coordination with separate efforts to reconstruct a portion of sidewalk on Main Street and the repaving of Library Lane with a re-engineered crosswalk at Main Street. “That is now all part of this one comprehensive project,” he said.

 Landscape architect Jay Olmsted, who was also behind the design at the former Eldredge Garage property, said a key component is the restoration and reinstallation of the existing monument to the town’s founders at the base of the library lawn in a small plaza at the same level as the sidewalk. “This way it will be accessible,” he said. CPA funds will be sought for the actual restoration of the monument.

 The library’s rear parking lot will also be redesigned to improve traffic flow, safety and accessibility. “It will have the same number of parking spaces as it has now,” he said. 

 Engineer Sean Riley of Tighe and Bond said the lot will also have downward-facing lights in the corners “to have greater visibility at night.”

 The design currently includes a shelter to be built over the outdoor book bin to protect books from the elements when the bin is being unloaded. There is also a planned stroller shelter so that library visitors can store baby strollers safely outdoors. Select board member Stuart Smith said he finds the design of the shelters unattractive.

 “It looks like a T stop up in the South Shore somewhere,” he said, pointing to the shallow-pitched metal roof. “I would encourage a pitch that is more closely aligned to the library building. And a metal roof? I don’t think it fits the character of Main Street particularly,” Smith said. 

 Board member Jeffrey Dykens said the accessibility improvements will be welcomed by many, and the site design is appropriate to the stately library.

 “It is an icon here in town, and you guys have done a very thoughtful, thorough review,” he said.

 According to the project team’s schedule, the work should be advertised for bids later this month, with bids coming in in January. A contract should be awarded in February, with construction starting the following month. Dykens asked whether the job will be completed by the Fourth of July.

 “We’re envisioning a kind of phased approach,” DPW Director Rob Faley said. The sidewalk work will be done first, with the improvements to the parking lot and Library Lane happening in the fall of 2026.

 “We’re trying to get it so it has the least amount of impact to Chatham residents and visitors as possible,” he said.

 Library Director Amy Andreasson said she’s excited for the project to get underway. Select board Chair Dean Nicastro agreed.

 “It’s been a long time coming, but it’s important to get it right,” he said.