As the town plans to move the library out of the Beech Street Center, the Council on Aging is looking to refresh the space with new furniture.
“Given the last two years and what the Beech Street and Council on Aging had to work with with the library being there and the disruption it caused, the least we could do was purchase new furniture as part of that refresh,” Town Administrator Patrice Garvin told the Select Board Monday night.
Garvin was referring to the library’s move into the Beech Street Center in late 2023 following the old building’s closure. Library services also moved to the Benton Library on Oakley Road, and some staff and administrative work took place at the Chenery Upper Elementary School.
“Before the library moved in, I think a lot of the furniture in the building was getting a little tired,” said Community Services Director Brandon Fitts, noting the furniture was roughly 16 years old. “It was worn; it was used because this is a very popular space.”
With the new library nearing completion, plans are being made for the transition of staff, books, and other materials from one building to the other, according to Garvin.
The total cost of new furniture would be a “sizable” $130,000, Garvin said. Of that, the Friends of the Council on Aging has offered to donate about $70,000. On Monday, the Select Board offered to accept a donation of $25,000 from Elisabeth Allison— a decision Allison made after the furniture she offered to donate was deemed not appropriate for the center.
“This is not a one-off,” said Select Board member Elizabeth Dionne. “This one on a long list of donations Liz and her husband have made to the town.”
The town will make up the cost difference.
“We want to make the furniture very senior-friendly and make sure the furniture fits the clientele,” Garvin said.
Fitts said staff went to various show rooms and other senior centers before picking out pieces for the Beech Street Center, which are expected to arrive in the first few weeks of January. In addition to refreshing the space with new sofas and armchairs, there will be new workspace tables and chairs for seniors to use. The center is also making an investment in the space for its social worker.
“One of the spaces is going to be converted to a social work room where our social worker Janet [Amdur] and her interns can meet with clients and hold groups and have classes,” he said.
In an email to The Voice, Council on Aging Chair Karen Donelan said she was grateful to the Friends of the Council on Aging for its donation and “ongoing support.”
“We are very excited that we are entering a new phase of work at the Beech Street Center to update facilities and furnishings that will enhance services and make our building more welcoming, functional, safe, and accessible for seniors,” Donelan wrote.
Select Board Chair Matt Taylor commended the Friends for its “generous” donation. Garvin echoed the sentiment.
“We would not have been able to purchase this furniture without this donation from the Friends,” she said.
Eventually, Garvin said, the goal is to also give the center a new coat of paint and replace the old carpets, the latter of which she noted could be an expensive endeavor. Fitts noted that the furniture was picked to match the future painted walls.
According to Donelan, when the Select Board and Council on Aging approved the temporary housing of the library during demolition of the old library and construction of the new building, it was estimated that it saved the town an estimated $100,000. Given the savings, the Select Board, with the Council on Aging’s support, has approached the Library Building Committee about the potential to provide “monetary support” for building improvements, given wear and tear caused by additional use of the building.
At Town Hall, it was a two-year process to re-carpet the entire Homer Building, according to Garvin.
“We don’t want to do that to the seniors,” she said. “We want to be able to do it in one swoop.”