LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield Library Building Committee presented its proposal to build a new public library to the Select Board on Tuesday.
If the town decides to pursue the project, the new library will be built on a portion of Reedy Meadows, a town-owned golf course. The committee said that the library’s construction would not interfere with activities at the golf course.
According to the committee, the total cost of the project would be $34 million, including $31 million for construction, $2 million for the renovation of the current library for town usage, and $1 million to prepare Reedy Meadow. The library was awarded $9 million in a provisional grant for the project by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners two months ago.
The Select Board declared at the meeting that “the land intended for library use at Reedy Meadow Golf Course is no longer necessary for golf use.”
According to the committee, 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 new library’s initial construction cost was $18 million, with an MBLC grant of $8 million covering 44% of the expenses. However, the construction cost has now grown to $31 million, a 72% increase.
According to the town, taxpayers were originally to contribute $10 million to the project. Now, due to the increased cost of construction, the amount they will have to pay has risen to $25 million, a 150% increase.
Approving the project will require a two-step process. The first step is scheduled for Town Meeting on Monday, Oct. 16, during which voters will have the opportunity to either accept or reject the MBLC’s provisional grant.
If this grant is endorsed at Town Meeting, the project will then move to the next stage, which entails a town-wide debt exclusion ballot vote in early December.
