Hopkinton Breaks Ground on New Library Building
March 15, 2016
Celeste Bruno
Communications Specialist
1-800-952-7403 x208
celeste.bruno@state.ma.us
On March 11, 2016, residents and officials gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new construction project that will renovate and expand the Hopkinton Public Library. The project will take the library from 5,783 square feet to over 22,000 square feet and will include a new conference room, a multipurpose and program room, and a children's area.
The $9,593,920 project is funded in part by a Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP) grant of $4,533,580 awarded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) to the town in 2012. Additional funding is also available through the MBLC's Green Library Incentive Grant when the library attains LEED certification.
Hopkinton Board of Selectmen Chair Ben Palleiko started out the festivities by calling libraries "the intellectual heart of any town." He added, "This project is a gift to ourselves and, more importantly, to our future."
State Senator Karen Spilka presented the town and library with citations from the House of Representatives and the Senate congratulating them on the occasion. In her remarks to the crowd, she recalled her mother taking her to the public library in Yonkers, N.Y. every Friday as a child.
"I realize what a library can be for a family," Spilka said. "What is the heart of a town? It could be town hall; it could be a coffee shop. I would argue that it is the library."
MBLC Chair Mary Ann Cluggish congratulated the community and spoke about how the project will positively impact the town. "This day will only be exceeded by the grand opening. I predict that you will be asking yourselves, 'Why didn't we do this sooner?'" Cluggish said. "It's not easy for a town to find money for a new library. This is a big deal, and Hopkinton has done it right."
The renovation and expansion is designed by Somerville-based architects Johnson Roberts Associates and is expected to take 16 months to complete. The general contractor for the job is CTA Construction Managers, who previously worked on the Harvard Public Library expansion and renovation.
View photos from the event at the MBLC Flickr and Facebook pages.
Funding for the MPLCP is authorized by the governor and legislature. With support from the MPLCP, projects are currently underway in Eastham, Edgartown, Framingham, Hopkinton, Reading, Salisbury, Shrewsbury, Stoughton, Webster, and West Springfield. An additional 21 communities are in the planning and design phase.
The MPLCP was first funded in 1987. Since then, the program has assisted hundreds of communities in building new libraries or in renovating and expanding existing libraries. For more information about the program, please visit the MBLC's website.
About MBLC
The Board of Library Commissioners (mass.gov/mblc) is the agency of state government with the statutory authority and responsibility to organize, develop, coordinate and improve library services throughout the Commonwealth. The Board advises municipalities and library trustees on the operation and maintenance of public libraries, including construction and renovation. It administers state and federal grant programs for libraries and promotes cooperation among all types of libraries through regional library systems and automated resource sharing. It also works to ensure that all residents of the Commonwealth, regardless of their geographic location, social or economic status, age, level of physical or intellectual ability or cultural background, have access to essential new electronic information technologies and significant electronic databases.