Jones Library Construction Proceeding on Schedule. Borrowing is Now Complete

Report of the Meeting of the Jones Library Building Committee, April 16, 2026

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Austin Sarat (Chair), Sean Mangano (Finance Director), Christine Gray-Mullen, Farah Ameen, George Ryan, Alex Lefebvre, and George Hicks-Richards (Library Building Maintenance Official)

Absent: Sharon Sharry (Library Director) and Paul Bockelman (Town Manager)

Staff: Bob Peirent (Capital Projects Manager and Trey Logie (Owners Project Manager)

Owners Project Manager (OPM) Trey Logie from Colliers Engineering and Design reported on the progress in construction over the last month. The slate roof, with copper flashing and new snow guards, has been largely installed. Much of the steel decking has been installed in both the old and new addition, and the plumbing trenches and electrical conduits are being installed on the ground floor, or garden level.

Two of the new windows were delivered and installed in the original part of the library, and the first two concrete floors were poured.

The previously noted discrepancy in the structural steel design has been resolved by the architects, and the steel is tentatively scheduled for April 28.  The change in design was not included in the original bid and has added $83,000 to the cost of the project. Logie thought the delay caused by this issue might delay the construction completion about a month after the projected January 20, 2027 date. “I am still confident by the end of February that [Fontaine Brothers] could get this wrapped up,” he said.

The total cost of the change orders is now over $1 million, leaving just under $2.1 million remaining. With about half the construction completed, Logie said that he always wishes for more contingency, but he thought the $2.1 million would be sufficient. He did not expect to run into any other major issues in the future.

The contractors have begun to construct the mock-up of the building, which is a model of the building’s envelope—walls, windows, and roof to show what the finished structure will look like and to test for energy efficiency. The mock-up is what the commissioning agent evaluates before okaying the completion of the exterior. Capital Projects Manager Bob Peirent stated that creating a mock-up is standard in the construction of large buildings. 

Borrowing for the Project Is Complete
Finance Director Sean Mangano reported that all the money budgeted for the library project has now been borrowed. Of the $28.1 million in the recent loan, $12.8 million is expected to be repaid by the remaining Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners grant and the library’s capital campaign fundraising, leaving $15.7 million as the town’s contribution.  The amount that the library trustees still need to raise stands at $9,043,332.64, the same as last month. Mangano included $226,000 of interest to be earned on the borrowed funds, but did not include interest owed in his report. Mangano previously estimated that the town would have to pay $7.9 million on the loans plus associated debt service costs, bringing the town’s total contribution to the project to $24,888,342.

Of the total budget, eight percent has been reserved for furnishings. Subcontractors of Finegold Alexander Architects are inventorying the library’s existing furniture to see what can be reused in the new building. The other major expense will be the move back into the building in spring of 2027.

Invoices received were reviewed by Peirent and approved by the committee. Pierent said that the $40,617 for Colliers was higher than usual, but included preparations for the topping off ceremony and som extra review of the budget. He said he will be monitoring future invoices carefully. The other major payments were $1.4 million to the general contractor Fontaine Brothers and $21,000 in rent for the library’s temporary quarters in the Slobody Building at 101 University Drive.