Acting Chair Rachel Field welcomed newly elected trustees Emily Prince and Gyasi Burks-Abbott at Tuesday’s meeting of the Bedford Free Public Library Board of Trustees.
Topping the agenda was an update on the bid status for the HVAC renovation. Director Richard Callaghan reported that the electrical and HVAC bids came in below bids that had been submitted in 2023. Emily Mitchell, Select Board liaison to the Trustees, confirmed that the bids were lower by some $200,000, so a delay in the getting the project underway has paid off for the town. General contractor bids are coming in this week. Facilities will evaluate them and select the winning bid that will then go to the Select Board for approval. Facilities Director Ron Scaltreto will come to the April meeting to brief the Trustees. The Trustees asked for a timeline on the project.
Callaghan said a preliminary look at the building shows there is considerable work to be done by Library staff in preparation for the renovation to start. He expects construction will begin as soon as the heating season is over.
New and notable:
- Interested in the April 8 solar eclipse, but need glasses to view it? The library has around 200 pairs of glasses that the Director obtained without charge at a recent library conference. (You may need to travel to NH, VT, or Maine for best viewing!)
- Nicole Monk, Head of Children’s Services, won a free scholarship from the Public Library Association to attend their annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio in April.
- Friends of the Library will hold their spring book sale on April 4-7. The Friends are hoping to clear their backlog of books in anticipation of the construction work in the building, so there may be great bargains on offer.
- Having trouble finding a parking place at the library? The Director reminds everyone that the lot behind the library is a municipal parking lot, not controlled by the library. Student parking is allotted to the middle rows. There are designated spots for library patrons closer to the building, but if patrons have a problem finding a space in the big lot, they should contact Town Hall.
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