The municipal rink is weeks shy of its grand opening, and the new library, located just across the street, will be following in its footsteps.
“It’s pretty exciting,” said Library Director Peter Struzziero. “I’m working on my 11th year, and I’ve been working on the project the whole time and we’ll be open in less than three months.”
Construction is targeted to be substantially completed by Nov. 20, according to Struzziero. While there will be about another month of work ahead, at that point, it will be safe for library staff to begin setting up the new building, he said. He said come December, the public can expect to see a service pause as the transition gets underway, a process that involves coordinating efforts with the temporary library locations around town.
“We’re going to launch some stuff in November,” he added. “We’re going to have a grand reveal of a new logo … and with the new logo is going to be a brand new website.”
The building is expected to open to the public in early January. Struzziero said so far, the project is on track.
Attempts to reach the Library Building Committee were unsuccessful; however, the committee does plan to share an update at the special Town Meeting next week.
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The much-anticipated opening of the new library on Concord Avenue comes three years after Belmont voters approved a debt exclusion of $34.5 million, with community donations accounting for an additional $5 million of the $39.5 million project.
A year after the voters’ approval, the former library building closed on Nov. 22, 2023, and library services were dispersed around town. Adult library services are located at the Beech Street Center; children’s services have been relocated to the Benton Library on Oakley Road, and some staff and administrative work is conducted at the Chenery School.
The design outlines plans for a two-story, 40,460-square-foot library, representing a roughly 11,000-square-foot increase over the former building. Those plans include a main area with views through the building, a children’s room with views out to the “golden bowl” and pool, a laptop bar, soft seating, and outdoor seating, including an outdoor patio on the second floor. It also includes quiet study areas, outdoor spaces for classrooms and events, and a designated Friends of the Belmont Public Library book sale and sorting area. There will also be a room available for signing out after hours, accessible through a separate entrance.
A Successful Fundraising Campaign
“Our commitment to the community was to raise $5 million,” said Kathy Keohane, president of the Board of Library Trustees. “We have exceeded that $5 million goal, and are working with the town on if there’s an opportunity to reduce the borrowing. That was our commitment: we promised if we raised more, we would look to reduce the borrowing, or the impact on the taxpayers.”
So far, the trustees, along with the Belmont Library Foundation—which Keohane said was created with the “sole purpose of raising funds for the new library”—have raised $5.5 million.
“There’s still, even though it’s early October, a lot to be done on the project, so it’s a little too soon,” Keohane said. “In conversations with the town, we’re working through that and we’re a few months away from it. It is looking that we’re hopeful we’ll be able to come in a little bit under [budget].”
Editor’s Note: This story has been edited to reflect a clarification on the timeline of construction completion.
