Central Fire Station to Temporarily Relocate for Work on Jones Library Utilities
New construction at Jones Library, May 2026. View to the south. Photo: amherstma.gov
Report on the Meeting of the Jones Library Building Committee, May 11, 2026
This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.
Amherst Capital Projects Manager Bob Peirent told the committee that work will begin on new utility lines for the library that will run through the parking lot of Central Fire Station. The work will require the fire station to relocate to North Fire Station for about three weeks beginning June 1. Peirent said the work was timed to coincide with the end of the college terms so that the town’s fire and EMS services could be handled from a single station.
Construction Progress Report
According to Owner’s Project Manager Trey Logie of Colliers, work on the expanded and renovated Jones Library is proceeding on time and on budget after previous change orders totaling more than $1 million in added costs. Construction is about half complete and is projected to be finished in February 2027, with move-in expected in late spring. Logie noted that about 30 to 40 people are on site daily to keep work progressing.
Logie’s presentation showed the beginning of exterior framing and the installation of the roof drainage system. Leakage from the atrium roof was a persistent problem with the 1993 addition, which was demolished to make way for the project. Jones Library Building Committee members Alex Lefebvre and Town Manager Paul Bockelman expressed concern about the flat roof’s ability to withstand heavy rain and snow without leaking. Logie assured them that the roof has a slight incline and that the robust drainage system can handle rain and snow without leaking.
All of the overhead steel that caused a previous delay is now in place. Logie reported that the delay resulted in about $4,000 in additional costs, apparently on top of the $83,000 required to purchase additional structural steel to resolve a design issue — an expense not included in the original project bid.
Where the new building adjoins the old, the stone wall and slate roof will be exposed inside. The exterior woodwork on the front of the library is being painted.
A major expense remaining is furnishings. Logie hopes to bring a listing and cost estimate to the next committee meeting. Technology equipment has been ordered.
The committee approved $1.7 million in invoices to Colliers, Allied Testing, Finegold Alexander Architects, and Fontaine Brothers Construction. An invoice for $21,000 in rent for temporary space on University Drive was also approved.
No fundraising report was given at this meeting.