Jones Library Project Faces Hard Decisions

Preservation Concerns and Funding Uncertainties Cloud $50M Plan’s Future
Adversity is no stranger to the proponents of the Jones Library renovation-expansion project, now more than a decade in the making.

See related: Jones Library Building Project Odyssey Approaches Final Challenges

However, recent letters from the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) requesting that the design better protect the historic character of the building portend potential costs and delays that the project leaders have not planned on.

See related: ACHP Calls for More Protection of Historic Jones Library

The MHC has recommended salvaging and reusing the roughly 20% of the century-old Philippine mahogany millwork that designer Finegold Alexander Architects has designated for elimination.  Preservation advocates have pointed out that the woodwork is a “character-defining feature” of the nationally registered historic property and that standards developed for the National Historic Preservation Act call for it to be maintained.

The ACHP responded to public complaints that the proposed project does not comply with the Town-Library Preservation Restriction Agreement.  It advised the town to inform consulting parties how it “has met or intends to meet the terms of the PRA.”

Another stipulation from the MHC directs that “the existing slate roof will be replaced with salvaged slates from the existing roof and new slates that match the size, color, and profile of the existing slates.” 

Neither the new measures to protect the millwork nor the replacement of the roof with natural slate were captured in the construction documents that were were put out for bid last October.  The low construction bid — $35,769,000 by Fontaine Bros. – came in $231,000 below the $36,000,000 that the Town has budgeted for the project.  When design fees and contractor costs for the additional work are tallied, the total project cost may well exceed the $46.1 million that the Amherst Town Council has authorized for the project.

That is, if Fontaine Bros. will even honor the bid that it submitted on October 31, 2024.  At the time, Town Manager Paul Bockelman explained that contractors would be asked to hold their bids for 60 days while the required Section 106 historical preservation and environmental reviews were being conducted.  The voluntary 60-day period expired in January, the mandatory reviews are still in progress with no certain completion date, and this month, the U.S. government announced that it is reinstating a 25% tariff on steel, an important construction material.

If the two contractors who submitted bids are no longer willing to work for the price they agreed to in October, the whole project will need to be rebid, bringing a new set of expenses and delays.

Town Manager Seeks a Third Deadline Extension from the MBLC
Also conspiring against the project is a deadline for signing a construction contract imposed by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners who have awarded $15.6 million in grant funding to the project.  The MBLC has already extended the construction start deadline twice, with the town most recently receiving a 90-day extension to March 31 in December. 

Without public notice or approval by the Town Council, Jones Library Board of Trustees President Austin Sarat and Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman have submitted a request to the MBLC to extend the contract-signing deadline by another month to April 30. Their letter indicates that the town issued a response regarding the Section 106 draft MOA during the week of February 17.  This response has not been posted on the town’s Section 106 website, nor has it been communicated to consulting parties.

The letter also alludes to a 45-day review period before the federal agency HUD can approve the project.  It appears that the Town Manager has chosen not to disclose this significant step in the critical path of the project to the Town Council, Section 106 consulting parties, or the public.

In unilaterally seeking an extension, Bockelman and Sarat have indicated their intention to commit the town to a continued investment of time, energy, and money toward a controversial project that is $10 million over budget, has had its originally promised features slashed, and which shows a dwindling probability of success.

Then There’s the Budget
The library renovation-expansion faces external pressures as well.  Budget watchers have noted that committing to servicing $46.1 million in borrowing plus $9 million in interest out of the town’s coffers leaves municipal finances severely constrained for years to come.

The FY25 Capital Improvement Program includes a 10-year partial debt schedule showing the library project consuming more than $1.1 million per year.  This would be a best-case scenario assuming the Jones Library Capital Campaign and Trustees are able to raise roughly $9.8 million as their share of the project cost.  At the same time, high priority replacements of Amherst’s Central Fire Station and DPW facility are years behind schedule, the town has a 40-mile backlog of roads in need of repair, and the public school system is staring at the potential loss of 35 staff positions due to a Town Manager’s budget recommendation that is insufficient to provide level funding.

See related: Town Council Calls for More Assurances on Library Project Funding