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Home My WebLink About2010-06-10 ad Hoc - Municipal Building Committee MinutesL I! MINUTES Ad Hoc Municipal Building Committee Mceting June 10, 2010 r 2 The meeting convened at 7:30 PM at the Public Library located at 64 Middlesex Ave, Reading, Massachusetts. Present were Chairman and School Committee member David Michaud, Selectman Rick Schubert, Library Board member Vicki Yablonsky, Finance Committee member George Hines, resident Kathleen Dugan and Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner. Also present was Library Director Ruth Urell. Building Exterior We began by walking the exterior of the building. Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner informed the committee that the building was built in 1896, and used to be a school There was a fire in the building in the 1980's and it was then converted to the Public Library. Notable problems with the exterior of the building were as follows: • The masonry and brick work needs repair and repointing. • There are holes in crevices where birds nest • Water seepage gets inside the building • There is no handicap-accessibility at the front of the building • There is no street presence (curb appeal) at the front of the building • There is no staff monitoring at the front of the building, therefore it can not be opened up due to security reasons • The ramp in the back is not to code as it is too long and narrow • There is no pedestrian area from the parking area • The vegetation allows cover for vandalism at the basement level. Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner noted that the entrance was repainted about 2 years ago, and that the basement windows were replaces about 2 years ago. The roof is about 22 years old. Basement Level Issues that were raised at the basement level included Technical Services Area • Office area for cataloging and processing. 3-5 people work in that office area • Lack of Storage and Recycling o George Hines notes that some clean up effort removing old and broken materials would have a significant effect. • Basement windows broken in at times (vandalism) • Staff is working under exposed pipes • Water seeps in through basement doors and through the foundation. There are drainage downspouts that go directly to the ground • IT server and equipment stored in this area - not the best given the susceptibility to water. Tutoring/Group Study, Books (cookbooks, gardening, nonfiction), Video, CD, • There is general conversation in this area due to study and tutoring groups. o Vicki Yablonsky noted that tutoring generally needs to be done in public places o George Hines asked if it may be possible to use some of the schools for tutoring as they are underutilized in the evenings. o Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner noted the need to flexible space, and suggested that tutors could meet at a designated location and time at a school for services. • Ruth Urell expressed a need for study rooms • The data and electrical connections are difficult - no floor coring, everything comes from the walls • The walls were replaced and sealed, but water continues to come in underneath the stairs • There are lost books in that area due to mildew. o Ruth Urell indicated that she has requested a dehumidifier for the area • Stacks are dead ended -.poses a security issue and a handicap accessibility issue. o Ruth Urell indicated that they decided against cameras in the area as it is not in the spirit of a public library Furnace • Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner noted that the system has been fixed so that everything is sent through the boiler and the system can now be properly maintained. The committee observed that the storage spaces that were seen were generally disorganized and old non essential furniture, boxes, equipment etc were being stored in many areas. Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner noted in one area that there were documents that were being stored there per AGFA requirements. This is not the case anymore, but a change to the charter is necessary to discard the material. Mr. Hechenbleiker also noted that the sprinkler system and the electrical were done at least 10 years ago. Ground Floor Ruth Urell noted that the community likes this floor space for gatherings. There is a teen area with magazines and summer reading. The painting and decorating were done with grant money. The teen area is currently next to the large print section and near newspapers, which are popular locations for elderly users. The noise can sometimes be an issue. There is a computer lab that allows for 6 desktop and 3 laptop users. There is no floor coring for power or data, so all cords come off the wall which is not ideal and can be a tripping hazard. There is a local history room that seems to be underutilized and Ruth suggested they would like to turn it into a reading room. There is display space that garners competition for events, as it is in a very public, visible area. The circulation area poses some workflow issues. The book return area is a converted closet and there is no flow back to the circulation desk. There is limited space for staging materials before it goes to the floor and that space is shared with the mailroom. There is a small stairwell room that is a fire exit and should not be used for storage. There is a unisex restroom in a very public area. 2"d Floor The children's room has recently added new shelving which are safer and hold more material. The carpet is fairly new throughout the area, done through capital planning. It is a secure space. The room was initially built for about '/2 the size of the materials they actually have, even with the addition of computers. There is a larger closet that stores off season books and materials. Noted that this space could again benefit from reorganization for better space utilization and would result in more storage space. The conference room doubles as a project room for children's activities, and must be reconfigures according to use. There is a staff workroom that is shared space. There is adequate power to the building, but Ruth Urell noted that there are distribution problems - the power is not necessarily where they need it. This area has refurbished older windows and it was noted that the HVAC was inconsistent. There are library administration offices for business purposes and office space for the director and assistant director. There are 2 restrooms that are in decent condition. There are no separate staff restrooms. There is a public kitchen that leads to the Public Meeting Room. They have a new A/V system in the Public Meeting Room. The furniture is in fair condition, and the carpeting is showing wear. Other Business The committee will next meet June 24, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Joshua Eaton Elementary School On motion by Rick Schubert and seconded by Vicki Yablonsky, the meeting was adjourned at 9:10 PM on a vote of 5-0-0. Respectfully Submitted Secretary