Jones Library Move-in Delayed Until June or July 2027
Jones library expansion addition under construction. Photo: amherstma.gov
Report on the Meeting of the Jones Library Building Committee, September 14, 2026
This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.
Present
Austin Sarat (Jones Library trustee, chair), Sharon Sharry (library director), Paul Bockelman (town manager), Sean Mangano (town finance director), George Hicks-Richards lLibrary building facilities supervisor ), Alex LeFebvre, Christine Gray-Mullen, and George Ryan (town councilor).
Staff: Bob Peirent (town special projects manager)
Construction Update
Exterior and interior work continues,, including roofing, masonry, window installation, wall framing, drywall, piping, ductwork, and electrical panelboards. The next phase will include ceiling inspections and finish work, like painting, millwork, and flooring.
Schedule Update
Trey Logie, of Owner’s Project Manager Colliers, said that change orders have resulted in the need to extend construction time by 32 business days, moving the expected substantial completion date from January 20 to March 17 which in turn pushed the staff move-in date to May 1, 2027. Library Director Sharry estimated that the library would not open to the public until late June or early July.
No update was provided on the bidding process for furnishings and equipment.
Invoices/Contingency
A total of $1,970,356.85 in invoices was approved by the committee as follows:
Colliers (Owner’s Project Manager) $ 37,722.73
Fontaine Bros. (General Contractor) $ 1,845,443.20
FAA (Designer) $ 54,300.00
Allied Testing $ 1,687.50
NV5 (Commissioning Agent) $ 5,325.00
Pioneer Moving & Storage $ 4,800.00
Slobody (rent at temporary location) $ 21, 078.42
Logie expected another change order for approximately $116,000 next month. In response to Chair Austin Sarat’s question about Finegold Alexander Architects’ response to the many RFIs (requests for information) this project is experiencing, Logie said it “could be better” and expressed a preference for them to address the concerns of contractors involved in the project more quickly.
Finance Director Sean Mangano wondered if the project can expect any rebates. Sharry said that Mass Saves is expected to approve two tranches but could not recall the amounts or the specific reasons for the rebates. Special Projects Manager Bob Peirent added that the first rebate is for eligible building equipment, and the second would be available if the project can demonstrate compliance with the program’s energy use intensity goals. Sarat asked for more details to be made available.