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Politics & Government

Architect to Show Designs for Branch Library

Library Trustees will meet tonight, at 7 in the Costin Room at the main library to vote on early McAuliffe Library branch, plans to present to Town Meeting in January.

Library Trustees will meet tonight, at 7 in the Costin Room at the to vote on early plans to present to Town Meeting.

Town Meeting needs to give Trustees approval to take the next step in applying to the state Board of Library Commissioners, for a grant to cover 50 percent of the new library's cost.

Library Director Jeanne Kelley said the grant will cover half of the land purchase and construction costs, unlike the 2005 grant which covered about 25% of the construction costs and none of the land costs.

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Trustee Sam Klaidman said the building subcommittee will meet with architect Jim Alexander at the start of Wednesday's meeting to go over the early design.

Although the new building will be three times larger than the McAuliffe Branch in Pinefield Plaza, it will have approximately the same operating budget, said Klaidman.

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Staff size will not increase and improvements since the branch was built in 1963 will keep energy costs the same, he said. The early design is to give Town Meeting some sense of what it will later be asked to spend money on, he said.

The preferred site for the new branch is across the street from the Hemenway School in Nobscot. According to previous reports, the combined cost of the land and construction would be about $7.6 million.

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