AMHERST — A second meeting to gather input for a plan to address adverse effects on historical aspects of the Jones Library building over the course of the $46.1 million expansion and renovation project is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Starting at 3 p.m., the virtual Zoom “Meeting of the Consulting Parties” takes place as part of the federal Section 106 review, with town and library officials aiming to reach a memorandum of agreement before the end of March that will spell out potential mitigation measures.

Town Manager Paul Bockelman said Wednesday that the memorandum of agreement will be written with assistance from Virginia H. Adams, senior architectural historian at The Public Archaeology Laboratory in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners gave the town until March 31 to complete the Section 106 process that’s required to access federal grants for the project, including a Challenge Infrastructure and Capacity Building grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and an Economic Development Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Section 106 review is also needed for the project to secure a hazardous waste removal permit from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

Once this review is complete, the town can sign a contract for a general contractor, with a $35.77 million construction bid in hand from Fontaine Brothers Inc. of Springfield, $231,000 below the advertised cost of the work. Factoring in project expenses to date and contingency costs, the low bid places the total project cost about $1.6 million under the bond cap approved by the Town Council.

Most of the two-hour consulting parties meeting, which follows one held on Oct. 9, will be discussion with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, while 30 minutes will be set aside for public comment. The state historic officials weren’t at the first meeting, but since then have regularly corresponded with the town about changes to the building project, including requesting a slate roof instead of a synthetic roof, and removing a book drop that would have been cut into the front facade.

An alternatives analysis report in November from the town offers examples of potential memorandums of agreement and mitigation measures. Written by Robert Pereint, special capital projects coordinator for the town, those possible mitigation measures include narrative and photographic documentation of the exterior and interior of the Jones Library building before any work is done; interpretive presentations, including plaques, signs and displays; and rehabilitation of the exterior of the Jones Library and the interior spaces and finishes to meet the federal Department of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

After the meeting, comments will continue to be gathered through Jan. 30 about resolving impacts and developing mitigation measures. In August, the town invited more than 20 local organizations to participate in the formal federal historical review process.

While the town has a low bid for the project and Fontaine Brothers has agreed to hold the bid into this month, Bockelman told members of the Town Council at their Jan. 13 meeting that Pereint is working through the issues prompted by the delays associated with the Section 106 review. Bockelman said he anticipates that the result will be similar to hiring a contractor for the new elementary school, where the low bid was tweaked due to delays in getting started.

Collaborative Resolutions Group of Greenfield is facilitating the discussion. The Zoom link is at amherstma.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=29415.

In case of inclement weather blocking Zoom access for those in town government, the meeting would be postponed to Jan. 29 at noon.

More information on the proposed project and the Section 106 process is available at amherstma.gov/3804/Section-106-Historic-Preservation-Review.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.