Library Trustees Acquiesce to Massachusetts Historical Commission on Two Design Changes

Report on the Meeting of the Jones Library Trustees, January 8, 2025

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded. The recording can be viewed here.

Present
Austin Sarat (President), Farah Ameen, Lee Edwards, Tamson Ely, Nat Larson, and Eugene Goffredo. Goffredo, whose spouse (Ginny Hamilton) chairs the library’s Capital Campaign, recused himself from the discussion.

Staff: Sharon Sharry (Library Director), Bob Peirent (Special Capital Projects Manager)

The Jones Library Trustees unanimously agreed to recommend that the town make the changes to the roof and front façade that were requested by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) in response to the requirements of a Section 106 review. 

The MHC had requested the town respond to its concerns about the roof and the front façade in a December 19, 2024 letter. In the letter, MHC Executive Director and State Historic Preservation Officer Brona Simon objected to the use of synthetic slate on the roof of the building when the original slate is still available. She also objected to a slot for a book drop being cut into the front façade near the main entrance. The book drop slot was supposed to connect to an automated book sorter, which would have occupied the current director’s office in earlier plans but has since been removed from the plans.

The project is now in the midst of a Section 106 review to address previously identified adverse effects to the historic character of the building. The MHC must approve the plans to address identified adverse effects of the library expansion project in order for the town to receive $2.1 million in federal funds that have been provisionally awarded from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH). The town and the MHC are currently in the process of negotiating what the town will do to eliminate, minimize, or mitigate the identified adverse effects.

Capital Projects Manager Bob Peirent consulted with the State Attorney General (AG) regarding making changes to the project design after bids have been received. According to Peirent, he requested and received an opinion from the AG stating that the changes can be made without having to rebid the entire project.

According to Peirent, eliminating the book deposit slot in the front facade of the 1928 building would reduce the project cost by less than $10,000 and is considered by the AG to be a “de minimis change” that does not require rebidding. However, the substitution of natural slate for the synthetic slate in the current plans would necessitate rebidding. Peirent said that this could be accomplished via a “post-contract award negotiation” or by rebidding the roofing subcontract. He described the first option as issuing a work directive order, whereby the general contractor’s bid would be accepted and a contract signed followed by a negotiation of a change order to decrease the amount of the contract. The slate roofing would then be rebid as a separate, second contract. The second option would be to rebid the roofing subcontract and “build that into the general contractors bid.” Peirent stated that there are pluses and minuses to both arrangements, stating that “change orders can be difficult,” and also acknowledged that he does not know if any of the existing roofing subcontractors have experience with natural slate. He added that the change in roofing material would require the architects, Finegold Alexander Architects (FAA), to review qualification requirements of the roofing sub-bidders to determine if they are capable of the work. Peirent did not have a recommendation about which route to take and indicated that either option could be accomplished in the time available. (The three-month extension granted by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to execute all contracts expires on March 31, 2025). 

Asked by Trustee President Austin Sarat about cost implications, Peirent estimated that the additional cost of natural slate versus synthetic slate would be about $175,000. Jones Library Director Sharon Sharry said the additional cost of the natural slate was about $200,000 according to cost estimators Fennessy Inc. A memo from FAA in the meeting packet dated January 6, 2025 estimated the additional cost of natural slate at $228,000. It was not clear whether any of these estimates are for materials only or include the cost of installation including possible structural reinforcement of the roof.

Peirent said that the increased cost would be covered by the contingency factor (about 10%) included in the total project cost. Sarat believes the change will not necessitate increasing the fundraising goals of  the library (the library’s portion of the total cost is approximately $14.8 million). 

Trustee Farah Ameen wondered whether these changes would affect the Section 106 process, which must be completed before contracts can be signed. Peirent said “if anything, they will help.”

No member of the public spoke during the comment period offered at the beginning of this meeting, which adjourned after 24 minutes. Sarat said he would schedule a meeting of the Jones Library Building Committee to inform members of the changes agreed to by the trustees.

The trustees did not discuss previously identified violations (see also here) of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Properties. The town’s failure to address these violations resulted in the rejection of the town’s four applications for historic tax credits. The trustees also did not discuss the remaining adverse effects previously acknowledged by the town, including changes to the interior floor plan of the historic building and the massing of the proposed addition, which is seen by the MHC as incompatible with the historic building. The MHC did not mention these issues in their December letter and it is unclear whether they remain an obstacle to completing the Section 106 process.