New Library Site, 2009 Oct. 6

The new library will be built on town-owned land behind the current library, in an area that is now entirely covered by trees, vines, brush, and pine needles.

View of site from the current library yard, with Ferri Middle School parking lot.

Much of the site is overgrown with vines and thick brush.

In the center of the thick brush there are evergreens and a carpet of needles.

View on Memorial Ave., approaching from the park.

This spot will be the new Library entrance.

Committee Meets July 23, 5:30

The Library Building Committee will meet Thursday at 5:30 to discuss progress toward groundbreaking, furniture layout, funding, and expansion of the plan.

Private Funding to be Sought

Trustees approved a recommendation from the Building Committee to seek extra funding for a slight expansion of the new library design. Work will only be done if it can be paid for through private funding sources. Trustees have asked for more information on the plan and cost by their July 8 regular meeting.

Trustee Meeting 6/30 Tues. 5:30

Agenda: Ralph S. Mohr Trust; Plan for Expansion

Trustees to Consider ‘Alternate Deduct’

Next week at a date to be posted, the Mohr Library Board of Trustees will review a plan to request private funds to add space to the new library, especially to the Young Adult area. The plan is described as an ‘alternate deduct,’ meaning that if funding is approved by the private foundation, we build the extra space.

June 23 Library Building Committee Meeting

Tuesday, June 23, at 5:30 there will be a meeting of the Library Building Committee to discuss the current status of planning and whether and what requests for changes to the design can still be considered. Organizational issues will also be discussed.

New Plans Under Development

Discussions by the Building Committee and Board of Trustees, and further site and engineering work have resulted in more detailed plans. The architect sent the following images of the new exterior.

Conceptual Plan Approved

On May 7 architect Tom Lonardo presented two alternate conceptual floorplan designs to the Board of Trustees. There was discussion of the features and tradeoffs of the 2 plans. It was decided that many of the things that were pluses in one of the plans could be incorporated into the other, while the other had structural and engineering features, fewer angles and more mechanical and user space, that made it desirable. Lonardo will begin development of construction plans based on a combination of features from the two designs, and the construction manager Eric Ahlborg will work together with Lonardo and bond counsel to project funding needs over the life of the project.

Meeting May 7

The meeting Thursday, May 7 at 5:30 is changed from a Building Committee meeting into a Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees to approve a conceptual plan for the library.  

There will be a presentation by Tom Lonardo, who is working on the plans now and will have them finished by May 7th. 

This change was the Library Director’s recommendation to the Trustees following new information regarding the bond, specifically the need to approve a plan that can be used to determine the construction budget in time to break ground this summer.  Lonardo was not expecting to have plans ready by the 7th but has agreed to do so because of this urgency.

Committee Meeting May 7

The New Library Building Committee will hold its first meeting Thursday, May 7, at 5:30 pm.  Committee members were appointed at a special meeting of the Library Board of Trustees held April 27.  They include Robert Parker, Chief of Staff for the Town of Johnston; Jon Anderson, Library Director; Allan Mawhiney, Library Trustee; Joseph Rotella, Library Trustee and School Committee Member; and Dave Cournoyer, Director of Facilities for Johnston Schools.  The Friends of the Mohr Public Library have been asked to nominate someone to serve as well.

On Thursday the Committee will likely take up organizational issues and other topics.   One is the possibility of making a small part of Memorial Avenue a two-way street.  Originally the entire road was a two-way.  It was agreed by Trustees that two-way access too far back might have a negative impact on the middle school and early learning center, but that access to the new library parking lot would be essential for the site plan under consideration. The Committee will discuss whether the access is a possibility and what might need to be done.

Another issue is whether it would be possible to use fundraising to expand the building after bidding is complete on the initial design.  This could be a legal issue related to the way the bid is described.  Summer groundbreaking requires us to move quickly on the plans.   In order to secure financing, we must supply bond counsel with a construction budget and timeline for spending.

A major design issue taken up April 27 was how many floors.  The architect recommended 2 floors based on new information regarding ledge, or rock close to the surface, the removal of which would greatly add to the expense of spreading the library on one story.  A two-story building might be more economical and provide other advantages, such as parking and an outdoor program area.