Week of APRIL 23-28

IN PROCESS

Plumbing for the new area should be completed soon followed by the wall insulation and drywall hanging. The electrical wiring work in the walls and ceilings continues.

WINDOW WORK STARTS MONDAY

Monday, April 30^th marks the start of the work on the new first and second floor windows. This starts with the demolition of the brick for the openings and installation of the storefront framing. Once the storefront is in and measurements taken, the glass will be installed. As mentioned in the last Gazette, plywood and plastic will be used to protect the interior of the building during the demolition and glass installation. The library will be secure & alarmed.

COLLECTIONS AFFECTED TEMPORARILY

Portions of the Adult 900’s and 700’s will be temporarily restricted. The construction superintendent met with Library Staff and created a workable plan to protect staff, patrons and books during this phase. Some areas will be unavailable to patrons—but not staff—and other times an entire area may be temporarily unavailable to everyone. Safety will dictate when these “closures” will be necessary along with accommodating the renovation crew so that the work can be done more quickly. On Monday some of the furniture will be rearranged in the Adult area to block off a pathway that provides access to the emergency exit/backstairs area. Carpeting will be protected in the work area.

RELATED ACTIVITY

Jane Newell will be directing History and Museum staff and other workers this Saturday as Local History items are moved from the basement to other locations. Jane will bring a few new items to the basement for storage, but overall there should be more floor space in the basement.

Hard Hat News - April 16-21

Week of APRIL 16-21

IN PROCESS

Plumbing for the new area continues and should be completed by the end of the week along with framing and interiors. As soon as these are formally inspected, the next step is to put in the insulation and finish the drywall. The electrical wiring work in the walls and ceilings is continuing. The fixtures will actually be installed at a later date. The HVAC (Heating, Venting and Air Conditioning) work is actually ahead of schedule.

EXTERIOR WORK

Coming soon! The removal of the concrete blocks, the placement of window frames, and installing the windows. The plan is to coordinate the demolition and installation of the storefront in such a way so as to minimize the impact on the public. Once the storefront is in place, the installation of the glass windows will take about a week. Plywood and plastic will be used to protect the interior of the building during the demolition and the glass installation. The library will be secure & alarmed.

HOW THE WINDOW INSTALLATION AFFECTS STAFF & PATRONS

During the demolition of the exterior wall for the new windows on the first and second floor at the corner of Broadway and Harbor, the most obvious impact will be the noise. During the rest of this phase, the primary impact will be the access to some of the adult book collections on the second floor. Some areas will be unavailable to patrons—but not staff—and other times an entire area may be temporarily unavailable to everyone. Safety will dictate when these “closures” will be necessary along with accommodating the renovation crew so that the work can be done more quickly. Once the actual work is scheduled, there will be further information provided to staff.

REMINDER

Staff members are the eyes and ears of the Library. Pass along any concerns that arise regarding safety issues or when the renovation causes unusual or undue impact on patrons or staff so they can be addressed.

Hard Hat News

Week of APRIL 9-13

NOISE ABATING

Ear plugs will still be in fashion for the next several weeks, but the high volume work will be diminishing. The coring through the concrete desk IS FINISHED. There will still be drilling into the concrete deck and walls for plumbing, electric and HVAC (Heating, Venting and Air Conditioning) work.

EXTERIOR WORK

Still waiting to see the light….literally. Coming soon, but not this week, is the removal of the concrete blocks, the placement of window frames and installing the windows.

BASEMENT BUSINESS

The Owner’s Representatives (that’s Rick, Carol, Paul and Richard) emphasized that the collections, equipment and objects in the basement may only look “old”, and of little value, but that much of the basement material is archival and rare items. The contractor has assured Rick that materials will be tarped before work begins that generates grit from drilled concrete and that library staff will be noticed if any items are moved in the basement. The “burning” smell and smoke in the basement was the result of use of wet concrete cement saws cutting holes to locate plumbing pipes. That same process resulted in puddles in the basement. This work is done so there should not be anymore smoke and water.

THE NITTY, GRITTY

What is discussed, besides noise and cleanup, at the meetings? The details of the construction. This week the size and type of electric boxes for floor outlets, door locks, and interior glass was decided. Each of the 8 doors had to be identified with the type of lock and level of key. Facility maintenance was part of this discussion and also for a discussion of adding conduit for security alarms and projectors – these were not in the original plans. A major challenge for the contractor is the appearance and disappearance of plumbing pipes and connections. The building plans are not accurate and some work is taking much longer because, after drilling/coring through concrete, the workers are finding steel where there was none marked and not finding plumbing connections where they were expected.

Week of APRIL 2-6
NOISE ABATEMENT
This week you have a choice of green or orange ear plugs. The green plugs are being distributed to each program area with the “extras” in the Business office. You might want to read the instructions so you put them “right side in”.
EXTERIOR WORK
The Gunite was completed today. The dark grey concrete finish will be in place until the next phase when the exterior of the building will be redone. The broken tile edge will be trimmed. Next up is the removal of the concrete blocks and the placement of window frames (1 week) and then the glaziers will install the windows (1 week). The white panels are too heavy and large to be removed in one piece safely.
Next week cement trucks will return and will pour concrete walkways for required emergency exits, including new exits from the renovated children’s area.
INTERIOR WORK
The interior walls in the Children’s area have been framed up. Dry wall is being installed. Next week, work on a new drop ceiling will begin. All trades are on site so our parking is as impacted as it is going to be by construction. Drilling in the concrete floor will continue for the installation of power boxes.
FURNISHINGS, FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENTThe last part of the project is FFE – shelving, furnishings, equipment and “show set elements.” Thanks to Mary Nicolai’s generous donation, fun animals are being designed for the Children’s entrance and Storytime room. A glowing entry portal will designate a Tween area. Shelving is on order and expected delivery is the 1st week of August. Half of the furnishings are on order. The project is still on target for completion in September.