EASTHAMPTON — The Easthampton Public Library’s new annex space, just off the downtown rotary, is gearing up to open its doors.

After months of renovations, cleaning and transforming the former Bank of America building, donated by bankESB, into a more open and inviting space, Library Director Katya Schapiro said the month of March will be dedicated to learning how to use the space.

In the coming weeks, the annex will host an array of community events — from library board meetings to quilting groups and a community potluck — in the new 52 Main St. building, but it won’t yet be open to the public for regular business hours, and Schapiro and her colleagues still have their sights set on the next stages of renovations.

Chuck McCullagh, fundraising consultant for the library and project manager for the annex build, said that having the new building donated was the “lightning strike” that opened up new possibilities for the library.

Now that library staff members are actually able to see the building starting to come together, McCullagh and Schapiro said that ideas have been flowing readily.

“There’s a big difference between knowing something is going to happen and actually getting your hands on it,” Schapiro enthused.

Renovations to the annex kicked off in October with a public groundbreaking ceremony. This initial round of work primarily involved big fixes, such as installing a new roof cover, getting the building’s plumbing up to par, cleaning up and climate controlling the rooms, and asbestos remediation.

DA Sullivan and Sons Inc. of Northampton has been the general contractor for the ongoing renovations, and Caolo & Bieniek Associates Inc. is the design consultant.

The focus of the first round of refurbishments was the main room of the annex, which is where upcoming community events will be held. While this room no longer prominently features its teller station, and has been outfitted with modern carpeting, a large projector screen and recessed lighting, a bank safe can still be seen, set into the wall at the back. Schapiro said that this feature will be removed eventually, but for now, it’s a novelty for visitors to enjoy.

In addition to the main room, there is also a small office space for staff and bathrooms that are renovated and usable.

According to Schapiro, the overall budget for the first round of renovations was approximately $600,000. In addition to the building donation bankESB loaned the library funds to complete the project.

The majority of the library’s fundraising to date has been to support its operations, but there are plans to launch a more significant capital campaign moving forward. In addition to the support of bankESB and other contractors, Greenfield Savings Bank has pledged to be a multiyear supporter of the capital campaign.

McCullagh said plans and costs are still being solidified for the next phase of renovations. 

Phase 2 can begin

With the annex’s main space fully usable, the project can move onto phase two, which will involve renovations to the remainder of the building and the addition of accessibility features that will make the space somewhere the library can transition fully into in the coming years from its currently location at 9 Park St. For example, a major goal is the addition of an elevator, so that all guests can access the building’s basement floor.

“Being able to have fully accessible events will be a big deal,” said Schapiro.

McCullagh explained that the new building is only slightly larger in square footage than the library’s current building, but it allows for the freedom to arrange the space in ways that will enable the library to accommodate more community groups and needs than before.

“I’m just blown away by the services that the library provides,” said McCullagh.

But he explained that capacity issues often force Schapiro to turn away some groups that want to hold events at the library. “Now we can meet that additional need,” he said.

In particular, the library has been a partner in the city’s digital equity programming, GoDigital Easthampton, but mostly by way of promotion, Schapiro explained. In the new annex space, the library will now be able to host some of the GoDigital classes as well.

Another benefit of the added space is the additional storage, not just for books, but for the library’s extensive archives and museum collection, which currently aren’t easily accessible to the public. In one of the back rooms in the new building, Schapiro envisions shelves filled with the library’s archival materials with a table in the middle, where an archivist or historian can answer community questions.

Additionally, there will be staff workspace in the annex, which Schapiro said “we have absolutely none of” in the current library building.

As with any space though, the former bank building has its limitations. Currently, the building has a 50-person occupancy cap, but there are dreams of further expansion in the future that could raise that number.

Schapiro and McCullagh explained that a potential phase three of renovations looms in the future, once the library has been fully moved into the new space. This phase will mean adding on an expansion to the existing building, creating more space for more library services or gatherings to take place.

“The future is uncertain, but the planning is exciting,” said Schapiro.

Library staff members are continuing to envision possibilities for the new space as renovations move into their next stages. Right now, Schapiro said there is no mechanism through which people can book the space, but if anyone in the community has an idea they might like to use the annex for “we want to hear about it,” she said.

There are no plans yet for what the current library building will be used for once the library moves out. 

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.