Under Budget Constraints, Library Building Committee Begins Furniture Shopping
On Monday, July 6, 2026, the Jones Library Building Committee (JLBC) Design Subcommittee met to provide a comprehensive update on the renovation-expansion project’s Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment (FF&E). Facilities Supervisor George Hicks-Richards described how furniture selection has focused on balancing aesthetic goals with strict budget adherence.
Hicks-Richards detailed the multi-year furniture procurement process, which began with meeting Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC)-approved seating requirements and conducting staff interviews to define departmental needs. Working closely with the interior design firm Stefura Associates, the team performed extensive site visits to temporary and long-term storage locations—including the basement of a school in South Amherst—to identify reusable furnishings that could be integrated into the new space. This user-centered selection process included hands-on “sit tests” where staff rated furniture samples via QR codes and collaborated on final color palettes and fabric choices.
A Strategy to Manage Cost
Aware of the project’s conspicuously high cost, which, at $46.1 million plus interest has become the most expensive MBLC library expansion in the state, the furniture planners are relying heavily on the reuse of existing furniture. Highlights of this cost-saving strategy include:
- Shelving: Reusing significant amounts of metal shelving, though many will receive new wood end panels to refresh their appearance.
- Seating: Repurposing 100 stack chairs from the former Woodberry Room for use in ESL and office spaces.
- Miscellaneous: Reusing items such as 80 trash cans, which Hicks-Richards noted “adds up” when trying to save money.
“We were like any designers, wanting to give you all new and all wonderful,” said Hicks-Richards. “But, you know, when the [project] is way over budget, you have to reuse things.”
JLBC Chair Austin Sarat objected to the characterization. “George, we need to be clear,” he said. “The budget is not way over. It’s not. No, right? What you were saying was that if you had done what they wanted you to do and replaced it all, it would have been way over. We are budget hawks and we are within our budget,” stressed Sarat.
Cost Estimates and Procurement Timeline
The presentation made no mention of hard cost numbers. Records show that early in planning (October 2016), when the project was estimated to cost $35.6 million, the budget for furniture and shelving was $2.5 million. By late 2022 the furniture and shelving lines had been reduced to $1.28 million.
Special Capital Projects Coordinator Bob Peirent shared insights into the procurement process. The subcommittee expects to receive final bidding document drafts this week. The procurement process—which involves reaching out to vendors through state-contracting procedures—is expected to take approximately one to one-and-a-half months.
Peirent noted that firm pricing and contract awards should be in place in about two months.
Transparency Concerns and “Hard to Find” Materials
During the discussion, the subcommittee addressed the difficulty the public may have in reviewing these design plans. Chair Sharon Sharry acknowledged that while the furniture packet is technically available on the town’s website, it is “not easy to find“ and that it is “very difficult to find a design subcommittee“ packet specifically.
To improve transparency, Sharry promised that the furniture drawings would be included in the next full JLBC meeting packet to ensure they are more accessible to the community.
A recording of the JLBC Design Subcommittee meeting is available on the Town YouTube channel.
Has the JLBC, or the Jones Library Trustees, or … never heard the old saying
“When you break it, you own it!”?
Once the decision was taken to demolish a large part of an existing structure (the “break it” part of the saying), is it any surprise that there would be further, unexpected large budget/economic sequelae?
In medicine, there are similar cautionary sayings:
“The surgery was successful, but we lost the patient.”
“In the end, all that remained were the bills!”
Will we be surprised to hear similar things said about this project some day?
Did Austin Sarat actually call Jones Library Trustees, “budget hawks?” Did Sarat really say Jones Trustees are “within our budget” when the Jones Expansion project is short $9 million on what it owes the Town? We must be reading The Onion.