While the selectmen use phrases like “big-ticket item” and “hundreds of thousands of dollars” when they discuss making the old library accessible, just how much money would it take to do that? And what other repairs are needed to bring the building up to code? Until a thorough inspection of the building is done, and until the town or the Harvard Cultural Collaborative goes to the state’s Architectural Access Board with an accessibility plan and cost estimates are prepared, no one knows for sure. But here are some of the deficiencies a future owner of the building would inherit.
Accessibility
In December 2014, personnel from the Massachusetts Office on Disability visited the old library to evaluate the building for temporary use as town offices. Their report addressed four key barriers as defined in the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility guidelines. The main barrier is the lack of an accessible entrance to the building. The existing ramp to the basement entrance is noncompliant because of a slope that is as high as 12 percent in some places. The allowable limit on the slope is 8.3 percent. The basement door is also considered a barrier because of its weight, the difficulty a handicapped person may have using the latch, and a lack of level maneuvering space outside that door. In addition, the 13-foot-wide accessible parking space is 3 feet too small to be van accessible. The report said that the office on disability “strongly encourages the town to do a full ADA review of the existing conditions and make the necessary modifications in order to make this space accessible to persons with disabilities before moving public services into the building.” The report also mentioned the scope of an earlier renovation to the building that likely triggered compliance with Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (AAB) regulations.
The first floor of the old library is currently in use as Town Hall. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
In addition to the ADA, Massachusetts has its own accessibility rules and regulations overseen by the AAB. Two things trigger some form of compliance to AAB regulations. One is a change of use of the building, defined in the regulations as a change from a private use to one that is open to and used by the public. A change of use requires that an accessible entrance to the building be provided. The other trigger is performing work on a public building that will cost more than 30 percent of the full and fair cash value of the building. Certain costs are exempt, such as a new roof, new windows, or installation of fire sprinklers. The old library is currently assessed at $352,800.
1983 renovation
The last time major renovations were done to the old library was in 1983. Town Meeting appropriated $350,000 for the renovation and an additional $88,000 for an elevator. The entrance was moved from the front of the library to the side to create more interior space; the existing elevator and an accessible bathroom were added; and the existing ramp to the basement door was put in. That renovation would have triggered compliance to AAB regulations. According to those regulations from April, 1982, the slope of the ramp was not to exceed 8.3 percent, the same number that is in the AAB regulations today. When asked if any variances had been issued around 1982 for the ramp at 7 Fairbank Street, Thomas Hopkins, executive director of the Architectural Access Board, said he could find no variances that were ever issued for that building. He added, “If the ramp is too steep, and there is no variance for it, we would consider that an outstanding violation of 521 CMR, specifically, the 1982 regulations and section 25.2.”
Meeting building code
In 2011, the Municipal Building Committee commissioned a report on the internal state of the old library, Town Hall, and Hildreth House. The report, prepared by the Boston office of Arup, a global design firm, stated that in addition to the old library not being accessible, the existing elevator inside the building was not compliant with current codes. The Arup report also said that the building did not meet Massachusetts fire laws, MGL Chapter 148, because of the lack of sprinklers. It identified the fire alarm system as old and “not adequate for this type of facility.” Structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems were reported as “not in compliance with the current Massachusetts State Building Code.” Since the report was done, a few upgrades have been completed. A new heating system was installed two years ago, and the electrical service was upgraded last year, just before Town Hall employees moved in.
