Notes from Public Forum March 29th 6:00 PM

Presenters: Opening/greeting Pam Coburn, chair of the Board of Trustees

Primary presenter, Ron Lamarre, architect/consultant
Financial history of the building, upkeep costs, Duncan McNeish, treasurer Board of
Trustees
Need for an accessible library, Erin Apostolos, library director.

A purely unemotional evaluation of the librarys current situation shows that

the cheapest option would be to create a new library on a new site in lieu of
renovating a historic building. The cost difference would likely be in excess of
$1.5 million.
However, there is a tremendous emotional connection to the historic building
and to the current location in the village.
The trustees want to make it clear that at this point no decision has been
made.
It is important to consider a number of possibilities, and ask what we cannot
do? This is above all a fact-finding mission. Understanding the different
costs associated with staying in the current building or moving to a new
location.
Costs since 2008:
o Compliance problems found in July of 2011. Major issues included lack
of a sprinkler system, and a rear stairwell that was not sufficiently fire
resistant or accessible to be an acceptable egress.
o In 2012 the trustees hired Jackie Bonafide to help the trustees create a
new vision and mission for the library that was more in line with the
needs of modern library users.
o A Historic Building Conditions Assessment was undertaken. It broke
needs down into immediate, short-term and long-term considerations.
This was exclusively focused on maintaining the historic building not
enhancing any library offerings. Areas in need of attention were the
masonry and gutters. An L-Chip grant was sought and received to help
with these repairs which were completed in 2015.
o In 2013 a fire protection building consultant was brought in, and he
stated in his report that the top two levels should be closed down due
to these egress issues.
o Full Circle Consulting: Helped with forming a Master Plan Committee for
the library that researched libraries that had recently built or
renovated, as well as what libraries of the future would look like. Also,
worked on outreach leading to a survey of much of the community with
the primary finding being the people wanted to know the cost
difference between building new and renovating.
o Thomas Ladd, retired librarian who now consults for libraries, was
asked to create a Library Building Plan in 2015 that showed different
aspects that would be desirable for a future library and how much

space would be needed to meet these needs and desires. Two major
concerns addressed were parking and accessibility.
Lavallee Brensinger was approached in late 2015 and hired on in January of
2016 to help show the costs associated with a new or renovated building that
met all of the needs/desires discussed in previous public meetings and
consultations.
The trustees and town have spent over $400,000 in upkeep since 2008. This
does not in any way include utilities or updating library service offerings.
While reference sections are going away with regards to collection, reference
continues to be an important service offering.
Anonymity is one of several important facets that a library brings as a third
space distinct from work and home. An example of this is with regards to job
research. If this were done from a work computer this information could be
known to the current employer, while doing this research at the library should
be highly confidential.
Instead of a digital fingerprint, today there is more of a digital tattoo.
Community connections are another growth area for libraries. It is a space to
congregate or work outside the home or conventional workspace with others.
Fast casual is a desire for immediate access to information. While the
Internet makes this widely available the library can be a powerful resource
provider of vetted information.
Libraries are also becoming experimental, focusing not only on whats
happening now, but whats happening next. This can take the form of
business incubator or resource provider or both.
The library can also showcase advancements such as green technology that
they are incorporating into their own systems, also true of open source
hardware or software.
The library can also act as a meeting space or area to take tests.
The priority needs to be shifting from the library we have now to one that can
meet these future needs.
o The current chair lift is used sparingly as it is slow and loud, and many
people are concerned about using it.
o There is a need to have anyone who wishes to access the library to be
able to unassisted, whether in a wheel chair, with a stroller or unable
or unwilling to climb stairs.
o The current library is on seven levels and has two chair lifts as the only
means of assisted transportation.
o Childrens activities cannot be held in the Childrens Room due to fire
code limiting the number of people, so any children who are interested
in participating in a program and checking out items is forced to
traverse the steps from the top flight to the bottom and back again.
There is also no restroom on the upper floors, and again due to fire
code all children under the age of 10 must remain on the same level as
their parent or guardian.
o The number of levels also creates staffing issues. Currently the
building needs three people to operate at all times (one on the top

level, one on the ground floor and one to be backup and perform all
other roles restricted from the others due to their status on the desk).
One level would greatly increase staffing flexibility, allowing the library
to potentially be open an additional day. Also there would not be the
heavy competition for space usage with different staff events needing
to be at different times regardless of the age they are catered to, and a
complete inability to allow usage of the function room by outside
groups.
o Display space is also incredibly limited and is primarily in the computer
area where people go to work in private and there is very limited space
to simply admire the works displayed.
o The library had 482 events last year with 5994 attendees.
o Lack of collection space requires constant weeding and rearrangement
of collections which also limits staff time.
The current structure is very inflexible. The addition in the 1980s addressed
some issues, but its goals were different from the current considerations and
even at the time of its completion it was only intended to be a twenty-five
year solution with specific note made of the fact that there was not additional
land to expand to within the current lot.
The goal of a new or renovated library would be that it could evolve over time
The Trustees of the Library have reached out to their immediate neighbors
and the school board in charge of the Humiston Building.
The breakdown of construction costs for a new or remodeled building vary
per square foot in regards to both basic costs and soft costs. In general, in
terms of 2016 costs, a new building would cost apx. $300 per square foot
when both of these costs are added together. This cost in no way reflects the
cost for site acquisition which would be required at both a new site or for an
expansion on the current site.
One goal that would be easier to obtain in a new building would be a higher
level of sustainability. Potentially a building could be net zero or net positive
with regards to energy usage. There are a number of options for
implementing these green technologies and some of them include funding
aid.
One of the fundamental questions that needs to be answered with regard to
the current site is whether it is a library that happens to be in a historic
building or if it is a historic building that happens to be used as a library.
Where the funding is coming from is also important with regards to any future
plans. There is a desire by the trustees to have a capital campaign, and
ideally this would entail building or renovating a library without the need for a
tax increase to the people of Meredith.
A concern brought up at the meeting was the possibility of having a derelict
building on Main Street. While the library building is owned by the town and
stewardship would go to the town Select Board if the library moved out, in
either case the old buildings future needs to be considered.
A proposal was made for potentially having two library spaces, one for youth
services and the other for adult services, but this would creating staffing

concerns and could also undermine the intergenerational activities that occur
at the library.
Keeping multiple levels was also mentioned with the addition of an elevator.
This creates its own issues, because it would be difficult to add an elevator
and stay on the historic registry. Also, the stairwells would still need to be
updated. Furthermore, the costs of scale are such that for a building under
25,000 square feet, it is more costly to be on two-floors.
It appears that the Baptist Church plans to move ahead with their new
location, but it appears they will stay in their current facility for close to ten
years. Many of the librarys issues are more pressing, and our timetable can
likely not be brought into accord with theirs. While the safety concerns of the
upper levels was discussed no timeline has been set for the closure of these
floors though certain safety measures, not having programs in the childrens
room, setting a cap to the number of people in the upper levels, having
minors under ten need to be attended at all times, etc. have been set for
these levels.
In other communities it has been noted that added parking has greatly
impacted attendance at library events.
It can divide a community to have multiple sites under consideration deep
into the process so it is important to come to consensus and not waste
resources creating complete schematics for multiple locations. However, at
this stage it is also worth considering if a move is to occur what the perfect
location for a library would be.
o Is something closer to the schools feasible?
o Can the library be closer to the community center?
o Can a new location inside the village be found?
Something else to be considered is the future of the town of Meredith.
Projections show the average age of Meredith residents will continue to rise.
Could the library bring to new vitality to the community and the downtown
area?
A suggestion was made that community members ask to tour the library with
a specific focus on safety and access concerns so they can better judge the
issues being faced.
Technology and technology training are becoming major parts of library work
and having the space to facilitate this work and provide learners with a quiet,
private space to work through their computer issues is important.
The library is also enhancing its role as a center of education.
Many communities in the Lakes Region have made significant investments in
their libraries and it is worthwhile to see what these investments have
yielded. Examples include Moultonborough and Gilford.
Whether a new building is sought or renovations are undertaken the same
amenities need to be provided.
o 3-4 acres should be sought for both the building and appropriate
parking spots.
o One floor for access and staffing is ideal given the size of the library
and the population it serves.

Major library renovations can be difficult for staff and community members
during the updating period. While there have been advances that should
avoid major closures and shifting services off-site, the timetables for
renovations are longer with added phases to allow for continued access to
the building during construction.
Since the Church seems to not be a viable option at this time, the library is
looking to expand on the other side of our lot, reaching out to the neighboring
private properties, and the stewards of the Humiston Building.
A great deal of research has been done up to this point, but there is a great
deal more to be done.
The idea was suggested to create an FAQ from the Librarys homepage to go
over some of the more common topics being discussed with the Planning
Board process.
The next meeting will be at the Community Center on May 19 th.