SWAMPSCOTT — The third floor of the Swampscott Public Library is about to get a facelift, with plans for more than $100,000 worth of renovations.
Planning is underway for a new restroom on the third floor, which will be paid for with $50,000 of funding that was approved at Town Meeting two years ago, according to Library Director Alyce Deveau.
“Once that was in place, it was obvious that the rest of the room was going to have to be renovated to accommodate where the restroom was going in,” Deveau said.
Deveau said the third floor has been used as a meeting room since 1997. It was previously used as a children’s room.
In May, Town Meeting approved $55,000 for renovations for the remainder of the third floor.
Deveau said work will include taking a wall down to open the room up for larger meetings, refurbishing bookshelves and bringing more technology in to support presentations and programming, if enough funding remains for the latter.
The carpeting is at least 20 years old and needs to be replaced and some painting needs to be done. She said the carpeting work will be most intensive as it’s not clear what will be underneath the carpet when it’s removed.
The space is used for public meetings and programming, including author visits and kids’ events that run out of the library.
“It just needs an overhaul,” Deveau said. “It’ll be a boon for the library. We do so much programming in there and (…) to have it fresh and new and clean-looking, it will make it a much more appealing place to come and have programs.”
Deveau said there haven’t been any renovations to the library for more than 20 years. The town will be overseeing the project and she hopes to have work completed by next summer.
