Move Building Spaces

Scenario 1 – Move Some Spaces to the Basement

The first and second floors are patron spaces.  The current basement is fully underground, does not have staff for patron spaces, and is smaller due to construction costs.  Library spaces function together and removing pieces to place them in the basement may break the program and not allow the building to function to the satisfaction of the MBLC. Additionally, if patron spaces were to be moved to the basement, the building would change dramatically from Town Meeting.  The building would be 2 ½ stories (due to above ground windows for patron spaces) rather than 2 and the roof would be flat to comply with zoning height regulations.  These changes are significant, and are similar to a sketch shown to Richard Gelerman, the ZBA attorney, who opined:  “In our opinion, the proposed change in the design of the library building would not be within the scope of the vote taken under Article 17 of the May 2019 Annual Town Meeting,”  (Letter to ZBA from Gelerman and Cabral , LLC of June 18, 2020) 

Scenario 2 – Move Some Library Spaces to Another Building

All of the spaces in the library are part of a working library and spaces used in a librarian’s job.  Rooms such as the library programming room (labeled on the plan as community room) are used all day long to conduct library programming.  Breaking the library into parts is neither economical, feasible nor functional.  The MBLC will not allow parts of the building to be in other locations and the grant would be forfeited.