HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-05-12 Board of Library Trustees MinutesC
� • Of R�
�° Town of Reading
��� �� �r Meeting Minutes
Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Board of Library Trustees Library Building Committee
Date: 2014-05-12
Building: Reading Public Library
Address: 64 Middlesex Avenue
Purpose: To Attend Neighborhood
Information Session
Attendees: Members - Present:
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Meeting Room
Session:
rLCEtVfU
OWN CLERK
,',LING. M;,SS.
Z11111 MAY 21 A05i
Building Committee: David Hutchinson, Chair; Rachel Baumgartner, Vice -
Chair; Cherrie Dubois, Secretary; Bob Newton, Ruth Urell, Library Director.
Trustees: David Hutchinson, Acting Chair; Alice Collins, Secretary; Cherrie
Dubois, Vicki Yablonsky
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Evan Warner, STV; Chris Coios, CBT Architects; Lorraine Barry, Librarian;
Jamie Penney, Librarian; and members of the public
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Ruth Urell, Building Committee Member
Topics of Discussion:
Library Neighborhood Information Session
Call to order
Chairman Hutchinson called the Library Building Committee and the Library Trustees to order
at 7:35 p.m.
Welcome
David Hutchinson and Librarians Urell, Penney, Barry welcomed people and provided a very
brief intro to the overall project.
Presentation of Building and Site Plan by CBT Architects (Chris Coios)
Christos Coins, CBT Architects, reviewed site plan, designs, elevations, utilities &
connections, lighting buffers on east and west and showed pedestrian pathways. He explained
parking options studied and showed slides of School Street angle parking and Middlesex
Avenue ninety -degree parking. He described those options as unsafe as they required either
increasing parking density on a quiet residential street (School Street) or causing traffic
conflicts with cars backing into Middlesex Avenue from angled parking. He showed draft
design of a driveway/curve that would enter on the east side from Middlesex Avenue and exit
onto School Street to provide a few parking spaces and a drop-off point but did not pursue that
option as the grade on School St. side of site is too steep for safe travel. He also showed a draft
drawing of adding a curve driveway along Middlesex Avenue but dismissed that option as
Page 1 1
requiring a major retaining wall and impeding full pedestrian/wheelchair/bicycle accessibility
from Middlesex Avenue.
IL Mr. Coins discussed and showed a rough drawing of the most recent study looking into adding
an entrance to the parking lot further south on Deering Street and lowering the grade on that
side of the parking lot, offering a one way in and circling through the parking lot then exiting at
current Deering Street driveway. This preserves a safe passenger drop off point, adds three
additional parking spaces, and protects the pedestrian pathway from Middlesex Avenue. It was
developed in response to concerns raised by police and fire chiefs regarding having two points
of access to the parking lot/building. Mr. Coins then answered questions.
Constmcdon Overview — STV, Inc. (Evan Warner)
Evan Warner, Project Manager, STV, was introduced and answered questions and discussed
construction issues.
Question and answer session concluded at 9:20 and residents left the meeting.
The Library Building Committee discussed the new driveway/parking lot plan presented in Mr.
Coins' sketch, showing an entry to the parking lot further down (southward) on Deering Street
that addresses police and fire safety concerns.
Motion:
Bob Newton made a motion to endorse the new plan; Rachel Baumgartner seconded the
motion. Vote: Unanimous vote to approve and recommend the revised parking lot plan to
CPDC.
There was further discussion about the parking and auxiliary concerns and the two meetings
with the neighbors held recently. Ms. Urell would like to communicate the change in
parking/entry plan with the neighbors who attended the April 30 meeting prior to the May 19
CPDC review. She and Ms. Baumgartner will notify those neighbors and get information to
CPDC and Planning as soon as possible for distribution prior to May 19. Mr. Coios reminded
the group that CBT brought a traffic consultant on site recently to examine area. Ms. Collins
asked about the status of the lease for the temporary space and expressed concern that the
proposed temporary space might become unavailable to the library if action isn't taken soon,
and couldn't the Town pay an option on a lease to secure the location.
Motion to Adjoum at 9:5 p.m. (R. Urell / R. Baumgartner for the Library Building
Committee) (V. Yablonsky/C. Dubois for Library Board of Trustees
Gage 1 2