Good News on the HVAC Project
Trustees of the Bedford Free Public Library heard encouraging news at their meeting on Tuesday: Invitation for bids for the long-awaited upgrade to the Library’s HVAC system posted on Feb. 7 and the response has been robust, with some 27 firms expressing interest. On Thursday, Feb. 22, a pre-bid meeting for vendors will take place at the Library.
The next key dates are Feb. 28, when sub bids for sub trades, HVAC, and electrical are due with general bids due on March 13. The Select Board will approve bids and sign the contract at their March 25 meeting.
It’s expected that work will begin after the heating season ends, probably around May 15. Once a contractor is selected, there will be more specific news about the actual start time.
In other construction news, Library Director Richard Callaghan reported that the crumbling cement front steps at the Mudge Way main entrance of the Library will be replaced. Funds of $75,000 for this work are included in the Community Preservation Committee budget, to be voted on at Annual Town Meeting on March 25.
Five-Year Strategic Plan
As required by the MA Board of Library Commissioners, Bedford is now due for a review of its five-year strategic plan. Callaghan has set this process in motion and is currently getting quotes from consultants who will guide the work. This will likely entail a survey of Library patrons to determine what users are looking for during the next five years. The Trustees will have this discussion on the agenda for their April meeting after two new trustees are chosen at the Annual Town Election on March 9.
New Faces
Anna Sabella and Rich Suval have joined the staff as Library Assistants. Ryan Tildsley is a new Custodian.
And Norma will be returning on Thursday, March 29 to help patrons with their knitting projects. All skill levels of knitters are welcome, from 10 a.m. to noon .
On Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., people can find Willow in her Crafting Corner for help with a variety of crochet and other fiber art projects.
And Goodbyes
This was the last meetings for longtime trustee Michael Pulizzi and trustee Fahad Alden. They are not running for reelection to the Board. Trustees gave both a warm thank-you for their years of service. Pulizzi had a 19-year run, including two terms as Chair. Alden, now a UMass-Lowell student and student representative on the UMass Board of Trustees, was elected to the Bedford board while still a senior in high school, making him the youngest person ever elected to the board.
The unopposed candidates for the two open Library trustee positions, Gyasi Burks-Abbott and Emily Prince, attended the meeting.
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