When will the project be finished?

The new library opened January 6, 2008. Next, the old library will be torn down and the parking lot and landscaping completed. The last of that work should be finished by the spring of 2008.

Did you consider adding on to the old library?

When planning for the new library began, we looked very carefully at whether the old building could be expanded, or whether any part of it could be reused. Because corners were cut when that library was built, its structure wasn’t strong enough to allow a second story to be added to it. Ultimately, we concluded that none of the old library could be reused.

Can you add an entrance off State Street to your temporary parking lot?

Because the southwest corner of the parking lot is way below street level, an entrance off State Street during construction would be too steep to be safe.

Once demolition is complete and the parking lot is expanded farther north (in the spring of 2008), we’ll be able to add a State Street entrance. Both entrances will be near the middle of the block — not as close to Green Street as our entry is now.