The $1.3 million project to replace the old library roof and address other issues that were allowing water to leak into the building for years is nearly complete. The building is now weathertight—the roof has been entirely replaced, including all new slates; the leaky gutters have given way to a new copper gutter system; and all the masonry that had deteriorated from water damage has been repaired. The Department of Public Works is cleaning up the job site in the rear of the building, and it will reseed that area in the next few weeks. The only other work that remains is to install decorative copper finials on the roof’s ridge caps, and that will happen as soon as they are delivered.
Building Inspector Jeff Hayes told the Press the finials are being custom-made to replicate those that were on the building, many of which were damaged or missing. But a COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year at the small shop that is manufacturing the finials delayed the scheduled shipment date by months. Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro told the Permanent Building Committee at its Sept. 28 meeting that the finials are scheduled to be delivered and installed by Oct. 7.
Sobalvarro also told the committee the job has come in “way under budget.” The final change order was approved at the Sept. 28 meeting; less than half of the project’s 10% contingency was used throughout the project. Hayes said Gale Associates was “fantastic” to work with, and that both Gale and the contractor, M.D.M. Engineering, did a top-notch job.
Mark Mikitarian, board president of Fivesparks, the building’s tenant, told the Press Fivesparks is “excited to see the work nearly complete, and equally grateful for the community support that was critical to protecting and preserving this historic building as a town gathering place.” He also thanked the building’s neighbors, who in some cases are only a few feet away, for their “patience, cooperation, and generosity” during the six-month project.
