The project to restore the old library’s center entrance and make the building accessible has been underway for about six weeks. At the Jan. 8 meeting of the Old Library Accessibility Committee (OLAC), Clerk of the Works Carl Sciple reported that most of the excavation, backfill, and grading has been done, and work will soon move inside the building. The only unexpected problem uncovered (literally) was an unused “leach tank” in the northwest corner of the old library site, but that problem was dealt with swiftly thanks to OLAC member Pete Jackson.
Jackson and OLAC member Chris Cutler are working with Sciple to oversee day-to-day construction. Jackson was on site when the tank was discovered, and he told the Press no one knew what it was, but it was clear that the ground in and around the tank was not stable enough for pouring the necessary footings for the ramp that is planned in that area.
Jackson said he went to the public library to see if he could glean any information from the drawings for the 1982 old library renovation. There was nothing in those drawings, but he found a set of 1988 drawings for a modification that was done on the old library’s septic system. In those drawings, Jackson discovered that the leach field behind the library was to be discontinued, and a leach tank, a round tank with an open bottom, was to be installed. A concrete wall was also planned between the tank and the library to prevent seepage from getting to the stone foundation, according to Jackson, and that wall had also been uncovered during excavation.
Flowable fill averts delay
When Jackson reported his findings to the construction crew, workers proposed pouring “flowable fill” into the tank and the ground around the tank. Use of the tank was discontinued when the old library connected to the town sewer system. According to the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s paper “Concrete in Practice,” when flowable fill is poured into an excavated area, it fills in voids and solidifies, providing a stable base similar to well-compacted soil. It is typically the solution of choice to fill excavated areas that are difficult or unsafe to enter, such as an underground tank.
Because OLAC authorized Jackson and Cutler to approve change orders under $5,000, and the price of the fill was under that ($4,800), it was ordered and poured the same day the tank was uncovered, making for a speedy resolution to the problem. Sciple said the ramp footings have since been completed, and backfilling and rough grading is expected to be finished this week. Work will then move inside the building, and rough framing on the new front entrance door should begin in a few weeks.
Swanton reappointed
Resident Ken Swanton attended the OLAC meeting, and Chair Lucy Wallace told the committee that he had volunteered to rejoin the committee to keep track of the project’s budget. Swanton had resigned from OLAC and the Select Board last summer when he sold his house and was about to move to Concord. Swanton told the Press that the sale of the house fell through, so the Concord move was canceled.
The Swanton house was sold in November, this time for real, and the new owners asked if the Swantons would be interested in leasing the house until June. That worked out with Daria Swanton’s plan to retire later this year, so they will be in town for the duration of the old library project, which is scheduled to wrap up in the spring. Ken Swanton was reappointed to OLAC at the Jan. 8 Select Board meeting.
