AMHERST — Removal of two large trees from the backyard at the North Amherst Library is a sign that a planned expansion of the 1893 building remains on track for this year.
With the trees gone from where the addition’s north wall will go, the initial steps to begin construction are taking place, Town Manager Paul Bockelman said Jan. 19. The project is being paid for by an anonymous donor.
Recently, a drilling rig was on site to take soil samples so the addition’s foundation can be designed, and the Department of Public Works, after taking away the stumps, dug test pits near the existing foundation.
In August, the Town Council reviewed designs by Kuhn Riddle Architects for the addition that features a community room for 40 to 45 people, two bathrooms and a wheelchair lift. Councilors gave the go-ahead to continue the project, accepting a potential gift between $750,000 and $1.15 million to pay for the design and construction.
Once designs are complete, they will be reviewed by various boards and committees, including the Planning Board, Design Review Board and Disability Access Advisory Committee.
Bockelman said the addition will still leave sufficient parking at the rear of the building, as well as enough room should the town move forward with a long contemplated traffic plan that would reroute Sunderland Road behind the building, rather than having it merge with Montague Road in front.
The planting plan for the site is also robust, Bockelman said.
Bockelman recently appointed an advisory committee that includes Jones Library Director Sharon Sharry, DPW Superintendent Guilford Mooring, Jones trustee Alex Lefebvre, former Jones trustee president Molly Turner and architect Laura Fitch. The committee met for the first time Jan. 15.
“We hope to do a rollout and engage the public in different ways,” Bockelman said.
One of these outreach efforts will be through use of Bang the Table, an online public participation platform. Brianna Sunryd, the town’s communications manager, said this will offer opportunities for a variety of input from all residents before the project gets started.