LYNNFIELD — Last month, the Lynnfield Public Library received a provisional grant of $8 million from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) to build a new library. The town will vote on Oct. 16 to decide the fate of the project.
The Lynnfield Public Library was built in 1892 with a collection of 554 books. Today, it houses more than 90,000.
If the town decides to work on the project, the new library will be constructed on a portion of Reedy Meadows, a town-owned golf course. The new library will address several issues such as parking and lighting, as well as a lack of community rooms, quiet spaces, and storage facilities. The library will also increase its collection and bring in technological features.
In addition to the $8 million grant, the MBLC has provided an extra $883,672 to the Lynnfield Public Library for off-site construction costs.
According to Select Board member Joe Connell, the grant money might be insufficient to construct a new library.
“In the past, the grants were much larger,” Connell said. “Now they’re down somewhere in the $7 million range. But to build a new library, we’re going to need funds somewhere in the range of 34 to 35 million. And that may be an underestimate.”
While the final costs are yet to be determined, the project needs to first be agreed upon by the town before it accepts the grant money.
“The Library Committee will have to come before the town and propose it to have the town’s agreement,” Connell said.
According to the Lynnfield 2040 Vision results, 32% of respondents said that the library needs improvements, while 57% were satisfied with the existing library.
“Potentially it would raise taxes for every house in Lynnfield,” Connell said. “So this would be an additional tax exclusion for everyone.”
He added that the tax increase will be especially difficult for residents given the recent passage of the public safety buildings project.
The Lynnfield Library Committee will present the project to the Town Council on Oct. 16.
