SHUTESBURY — The cedar siding is complete, windows and doors are in place and solar panels are going up on the roof at the new Shutesbury Library under construction at 66 Leverett Road.
Inside, where lighting, bathroom and kitchenette fixtures are in place and electrical and plumbing is complete, walls are being painted and floors are being installed, along with the installation of window shade boxes.
A little over a year since the Aug. 2, 2024 groundbreaking on the 4,400-square foot, $8.98 million building, work is nearing the finish line, though officials say weather delays caused by periods when it was too cold and too wet, design adjustments and some supply chain issues mean that there is no formal date for opening yet.
Still, Library Director Mary Anne Antonellis says Construction Dynamics, Inc., the general contractor, continues to make progress on the building that will replace the 768-square-foot M.N. Spear Memorial Library, the town center 1902 facility with no running water.
Library Building Committee Chairwoman Elaine Puleo said she anticipates the new library opening sometime this fall.
The new building will have adult and children’s rooms, space for teens, a public meeting room for up to 50 people, display space for new and seasonal materials, a staff work room and a director’s office. It also will have more room for its Library of Things, including life vests and paddles for the library’s kayak loan program.
The Spear Family Adult Reading Room will offer expanded collections and two seating areas, along with a small study room providing a quiet place to read or work.
Landscaping and grounds work will be the last elements completed, and National
Grid must set the electric pole and provide permanent power to the site
before trenching and driveway work could be completed. That pole finally got placed recently.
Before opening there will be plans for community involvement in moving books from the current library.
The Friends of the Library are planning the third annual Roadtown Turkey Trot for Nov. 22, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, with a goal to raise $20,000 for putting the finishing touches on the new library’s outdoor spaces.
Early bird registration is happening now and several sponsors, with information at https://roadtown.org/