The construction on the addition continues to move along at a rapid pace. The building has risen up out of the ground and is really starting to take shape.
The addition’s exterior walls are in place and the roof is nearly complete. The stone wainscot is almost finished, and it is looking great. Roof-top air conditioning units have also been installed. Windows will be added by the end of August. Once the windows are in place, the addition will be dry and the trades will have a nice interior space in which to work.
Now that the roofing shingles have been placed, the next step is to complete the exterior siding on the walls by the beginning of September. Gutters and downspouts will also be added at that time.
While work continues on the exterior, there is much going on out of view inside the addition. All underground utilities are in place and crews poured the concrete slab inside the building. What is striking right now is seeing the metal wall studs go up inside the building. Areas and rooms are becoming defined, yet see-through for the moment.
Although the bulk of the renovation work on the existing building will happen next year, some things are happening inside now. If you have been inside the library recently, you probably have heard all of the sawing and hammering going on. So what’s happening? The existing library is getting a new boiler and a new chiller. We anticipate that the boiler will be installed and ready for action by mid-September. The chiller work begins in mid-September and should be completed by mid-October.
With all the construction going on, it does impact the services that we are able to provide. The first of our planned construction-related closures will happen from September 5th through the 14th. The library will be closed and all book drops will be closed and locked. We expect to reopen again on September 15th. The reason for the closure is that ComEd and the trades will be carrying out a utility relocation project. As a result, we will be completely dark and without power during that time. Coincidentally, this closure occurs over a period that includes the Labor Day holiday, so it comes at a time when the library is usually closed for the holiday.
Overall, the project is going very well. It is on-time and on-budget. There are always a few bumps in the road where construction is involved, like required closures due to a lack of power, but we are making really good progress toward completion of the addition by spring of next year. Work will then begin to renovate our
current space with a completion date of January 2022.
