New Library News Page

Cornerstone of the Community
Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library

New Library News

For the lateset in new library Construction News, check out our New Library blog at http://newjmslibrary.blogspot.com.

9 August 2006

With the contract signed and all approvals granted, Burman has moved a construction trailer onto the site and begun some preliminary clearance work. A chain-link fence will soon be erected, as will a sign. Preparations continue for the groundbreaking. A spokesman for the company reports that ordinary hours of work will be 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays, with occasional Saturdays. And the new building committee has hired a clerk of the works: Dan Joubert, a longtime Burrillville resident with impressive credentials and a firm understanding that the new library is an important addition to the community and the cornerstone of the entire Stillwater Mill redevelopment project. After a lengthy selection process that included interviews, Dan was the unanimous choice of the committee.

27 July 2006

Library Building Committee Chairman Victor Antoniello today signed the contract with E. W. Burman Construction Company of Warwick for the new library. Site work is expected to begin almost immediately.

All residents of Burrillville are invited to attend the groundbreaking for the new Smith library, to be held at 4 p.m., Sunday, September 24, 2006, across the street from the Assembly in Harrisville. The groundbreaking will go forward rain or shine. Senior U.S. Senator Jack Reed will be the featured speaker. Check back soon for more details.

June 2006

It's a Go!

Congratulations, Burrillville! Your new library project is underway!

With the recent Town Council approval of the budget for the New Library Project, the Building Committee is now empowered to enter into a contract with E.W. Burman Construction Company to begin work on the new library in the Stillwater Redevelopment Zone.

Site work is slated to begin by August, and the official groundbreaking ceremony for the library building will take place soon after Labor Day. The projected completion date remains June 2008.

April 2006

New Library Project Reaches Bid Phase

Jesse Smith Library RFP.

With the successful completion of our application to the State under the Library Construction Reimbursement Program (which will guarantee up to $3,681,000 in state funds towards defraying project costs), we are now set to go out to bid for construction of the New Library. April 5 is the date prospective bidders can begin receiving construction documents. It is hoped that bids can be opened on or shortly after May 10th.

The new library is to be located in the historic Stillwater Redevelopment Zone, just a stone’s throw from our current, cramped facility. Our new location along the banks of the Clear River will offer spectacular views of the stone arch bridge and scenic mill pond falls. The landscaping for the new library will feature a River Walk patio with convenient pedestrian access— the perfect spot to pause in your daily ramble or to linger a while with a good book.

At 24,900 square feet, the New Library will quadruple the space of the present library and should serve the needs of the community for the next 20 years. A large public meeting space will be located in a Community Wing that can be used by the Town or community groups even when the library is closed. The Children’s area will provide spacious meeting areas for children’s programming as well as comfortable seating for study, relaxation, or for parents to share a book or puzzle with their youngsters. Separate computers will be available here for exclusive use by children.

Another feature will be a climate-controlled Local History room to house our growing collection of materials, as well as artifacts pertaining to the library and the town. Here and elsewhere in the building, permanent exhibits depicting the heritage of the Stillwater Mill complex will be incorporated into the design.

Once a successful bid has been approved, site work is expected to begin later this spring. The schedule calls for work on the actual building to begin six months later and last up to 18 months. Projected Grand Opening is slated for June 2008.

The Library Capital Campaign Committee has chosen as its slogan “Jesse Smith Library— Cornerstone of the Community.” We hope that our new facility will prove to be just that: a community place to come for knowledge, recreation, and socializing.

Sealed bids will be accepted at Burrillville Town Hall, at the Office of the Town Clerk, located at 105 Harrisville Main St., Harrisville, RI 02830 on or before 3:00 PM local standard time on Wednesday, May 10, 2006, at which time they will be opened publicly.

Please call the Town Clerk's Office at (401) 568-4300, Ext. 114, with any questions.

January 2006

Progress Report
Fundraising Committee Help Needed

While there are as yet no physical signs that the new library is underway, rest assured that good progress is being made! The construction documents are almost complete as is the legal paper work to allow us to go out to bid on the project sometime in February.

Once a suitable bid is accepted, we could see site work begin as early as this April. That phase of the project— demolition of the derelict mill buildings and clean-up of the library site— is expected to take up to six months. Actual construction of the new library should begin next autumn and take up to 18 months to complete. We hope to have a grand opening of the magnificent new library in early 2008.

Once activity on the project begins we plan to have a live web-cam in place to allow everyone a good view of the progress.

In the meantime, help is needed to raise additional funds to offset project costs and augment the furniture and equipment budget. If you would like to assist The Library Fundraising Committee either as an official member or as a volunteer for a special project or activity, please contact Committee Secretary, Cindy Ketcham, at the Town Hall or Sandra Mundy at the library. We need your ideas and expertise to make the Committee’s efforts a rousing success.

Copies of the library plans are available for viewing at the library, so just ask! We’d love to show them to you.

April 2005

New Library Building Committee Sworn In

On April 14th, new Building Committee members Victor Antoniello, Michael A. Caron, David Ketcham, Brian P. Lanoie, Robert J. Martel, G. Wayne Miller, and James H. Moran were sworn in by Town Clerk Louise Phaneuf, and given their charge by Town Manager Mike Wood.

The committee will hold regular meetings on the 2nd Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the Program Room of the Jesse Smith Library, 144 Main Street, Harrisville.

New Library Building Committee Selected

The Town Council has appointed the following people to the Building Committee: Victor Antoniello, Michael A. Caron, David Ketcham, Brian P. Lanoie, Robert J. Martel, G. Wayne Miller, and James H. Moran.

William A. Andrews will be the committee's Town Council liaison (non-voting).

The Building Committee will hold its first meeting on Thursday, April 14th, at 6:30 p.m. at the library.

February 2005

Volunteers Needed for Capital Campaign Committee

This committee will be charged with raising a significant amount of money to help off-set the cost of building the new town library. All interested parties are encouraged to apply, but experience in fund-raising, or finances, or accounting, or grant writing, will be especially helpful.

To apply for a position on this committee, please fill out a Volunteer Application Form, which can be obtained at the Town Clerk's Office, or online.

December 2004

There's not much to see yet, but the architects and engineers have been hard at work studying and testing in preparation for cleaning the site for our new library.

Once the required data and permits are in hand, we can expect demolition of the derelict mill buildings to begin.

At the same time, the construction plans are being refined so that cost estimates can be developed for fundraising purposes and a construction bid document can be prepared.

The Town Council is expected to appoint a formal Building Committee to oversee the construction of the Library. If you are interested in sitting on that committee, please contact the Town Clerk and submit a "volunteer board application" soon. The form is available at the Town Hall or online.

We will also be seeking parties interested in serving on the Capital Campaign Committee. Persons with expertise in fund-raising and publicity as well as financial record-keeping would be especially useful to our efforts.

Library Building Project Chronology

1993 — 2006

--April, 1993.
Libraries section in Burrillville Town Comprehensive Plan notes "town should be encouraged to consider new library construction."

--September, 1997.
Burrillville Town Council appoints a 12-member Library Study needs Committee.

--July, 1998.
Agreeing with the Needs Committee's finding that the library is overcrowded and unsuited to future needs, the Town Council recommissions the Needs Committee to serve as Library Facilities Committee to move project forward.

--February, 1999.
Town Council authorizes giving $10,000 from Capital Improvement budget to Library Facilities Committee to begin ground work for construction of new town library.

--April 20, 2000.
The first full meeting of the Facilities Committee in Town Hall. The committee will meet 34 times through April 18, 2002. All meeting notices were posted online, at the library, and at Town Hall. Several were covered in the press.

--August, 2000.
Marjorie Judd hired as Consultant to develop Library Program outlining scope of needed facility. Public focus groups seeking public input held.

--January, 2001.
Final Report Judd Building Program presented. 23,000 sq. ft. library to fit needs of town thru year 2020 envisioned.

--January 25, 2001.
Public Hearing on redevelopment of the Stillwater Mill Complex finds overwhelming public support for moving municipal government and library to the proposed complex.

--July 25, 2001.
Town Council accepts Stillwater Master Plan, including library as the cornerstone of the revitalization project.

--December 12, 2001.
Town Council votes to issue Request for Proposal (RFP) for architect services to develop preliminary drawings for new library.

--October 3, 2003.
Town receives $910,000 grant from U.S. Dept. H.U.D. for Brownfields remediation on Stillwater properties.

--July 28, 2004.
Town Council unanimously approves expenditure of $346,350 and $5,000 of expenses to hire Newport Collaborative Architects to design the new library.

--November 2, 2004.
In a town-wide referendum, voters approve a $5-million bond toward construction of a new library at the Stillwater complex.

--April, 2005.
Seven-member Library Building Committee appointed by the Town Council sworn in by Town Clerk Louise Phaneuf. The committee begins meeting with the architect to refine the library design and address the substantial challenge of developing a site with more than a century-and-a-half of industrial debris.

--April, 2006.
The Library Capital Campaign Committee chooses as its slogan "Jesse Smith Library— Cornerstone of the Community."

--July 27, 2006.
Library Building Committee Chairman Victor Antoniello signs the contract with E. W. Burman Construction Company of Warwick for the new library.

--September 24, 2006.
Groundbreaking.

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