AMHERST — A one-month extension is being sought from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners so Amherst officials have time to hire a general contractor to handle the $46.1 million expansion and renovation of the Jones Library.

Town Manager Paul Bockelman and Jones Library Trustees President Austin Sarat on Feb. 13 sent an email to Vicky Biancolo, who chairs the Board of Library Commissioners, requesting that the town be given until April 30 to sign a contract. Such an extension is needed due to the reliance on state and federal funding for the project.

In a unanimous vote in June, the MBLC first granted an extension to the deadline for hiring a contractor for the project through the end of 2024, after the initial bids came in at least $6.5 million beyond what the town could afford for enlarging the building from 48,000 square feet to 63,000 square feet, overhauling mechanical systems and doing other renovations.

This led to so-called value engineering and the town then securing a $35.77 million bid from Fontaine Brothers Inc. of Springfield, one of two submitted for the project, which is $231,000 below the advertised cost of the work.

The town then got a second extension, through the end of March, to complete the so-called Section 106 Historic Preservation Review, and during this time has been working with the Massachusetts Historical Commission to resolve the project’s adverse effects. The federal Section 106 review considers the impact to historical features of the existing library. The expansion project calls for removing some of the building’s historic millwork and several staircases, along with altering other historical features.

On Dec. 26, 2024, the town and library received written feedback from MHC, asking that natural slate roofing be restored to the building and that a book drop be removed from near the main entrance.

On Jan. 27, 2025, the town held a  second consulting parties meeting to discuss measures to resolve the adverse effects of the project and develop potential mitigation measures to be included in a memorandum of agreement. On Feb. 12, the town received written comments from the MHC regarding the draft memorandum of agreement, prompting another response from the town, and negotiations are continuing until the final memorandum of agreement is signed by the required signatories, including the town, library and MHC.

Bockelman told the Town Council on Monday that the Section 106 is a complex process, but the draft memorandum is being reviewed by MHC.

The signed agreement must be included as part of the National Environmental Policy Act review required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The regulatory 45-day review period before HUD can approve the project means the town can’t sign a contract with a general contractor until mid-April, at the earliest.

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