A project that will more than double the size of Winthrop’s Charles M. Bailey Public Library is on target to be finished on time and within budget.
Library Director Richard Fortin said Wednesday that the library is expected to reopen in May and that the project is coming in within the roughly $1 million budget.
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“I just heard the mason is just about done, which is pretty exciting,” Fortin said. “It’s moving along really well now.”
Fortin said granite from the existing library has been removed to make room for a passage into the addition.
“When you go inside, you feel like you’re in one building instead of two,” Fortin said.
The library in November moved from its Bowdoin Street location to a room inside the first floor of the Winthrop Commerce Center on Main Street to make room for the renovations to the existing library. The library has use of an adjacent conference room for programs, which has allowed service to continue without interruption, Fortin said. The library had to pack up much of its inventory to accommodate the smaller space, but even that has not proved to be insurmountable.
“We were able to get close to 7,000 items over here,” Fortin said. “We’re leaning on the interlibrary loans pretty heavily.”
Fortin had hoped the library would be able to continue operations on Bowdoin Street, but it is clear now that staying would have been impossible.
“We made the right choice to come over here,” Fortin said.
The Bowdoin Street library building is undergoing a $945,000 expansion and renovation that will more than double its size from 3,300 square feet to 8,400. The two-story addition includes a daylight basement on two sides.
The project also includes a retrofit of the existing building’s heating and cooling system, much of which already has been completed, Fortin said. Some of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment has been installed in a new utility room built in the attic. Crews also have installed duct work for the system.
“A lot of that’s been done inside,” Fortin said.
Project managers also are exploring the idea of finishing the downstairs.
“We’re hoping to be able to do that by the time we open or soon after,” Fortin said.
Library officials initially hoped the project would take about six months, but after they settled on the contractor, Winthrop-based S.J. Wood Construction, and went over the details, the timetable moved to a May completion, Fortin said.
“I think the more realistic mark was after we actually met with the contractor,” Fortin said. “Basically, we’re still lining up with that.”
Craig Crosby — 621-5642
Twitter: @CraigCrosby4
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