Seekonk Library Renovations

Renovations to the Seekonk Public Library could be as much as $10 million.

Library Director Kathleen Hibbert outlined a list of needs in a discussion with the Select Board on March 12.

“This is already a compromise. We’re not coming for a new building,” Hibbert said. “We know that ship has sailed but we have been waiting 25 years to make improvements to the building.”

A feasibility study was conducted in late 2023/early 2024 and the final report was issued last November. Among the findings:

• General Condition - The library is located at the site of the former Newman Avenue Landfill.  In an earlier study, a structural assessment identified up to 3 inches of settlement at the southwest corner of the library building.  The exterior building cladding is visibly deteriorated in many areas, and will need to be replaced.  It is anticipated that water infiltration has damaged the plywood substrate and the metal studs of the wall framing.  The windows are very early aluminum units and have reached the end of their useful life. The wall assembly does not comply with current Energy Code.  A substantial reroofing project was undertaken in 2008.  Overflow scuppers were installed to mitigate an on-going water penetration problem.  The roof does not provide the required insulation value. Floor finishes are worn and dingy and ready for replacement.   Drywall ceilings are in acceptable condition. Acoustic ceiling systems show some areas of damage and discoloration as well as areas of replacement tiles. 
• Library Functionality - The children’s space is undersized for the population served and is therefore crowded.  It is also not acoustically separated from the rest of the library. Space for collections competes with seating/activity space for patrons and the physical collection must be continuously weeded to provide space for new acquisitions. There is no readily accessible space for small groups and conference-type meetings. Daylight and views to the exterior are extremely limited in both patron and staff areas.
• Seekonk Public Library has inadequate stack space to store and display properly its entire physical collection and continuously weeds the collection to provide space for new acquisitions.  The book stacks ranges are excessively long and quite tall.  Lighting levels in some areas is inadequate. The library compensates for reductions in the physical collection by increasing access to electronic sources of information and popular reading, although these resources are expensive and not user-friendly to the entire service population.  The library is also a net lender in the inter-library loan network, taking advantage of resources stored in other community’s libraries, with reduced convenience to Seekonk library users.

The full report can be viewed on the Seekonk Public Library website: https://seekonkpl.org/home_page/9652/

Voters at the October 2022 Town Meeting rejected authorizing funds for a $24 million building. Every member of the Seekonk Board of Selectmen voted in favor of the project. Town Administrator Shawn Cadime had also voiced his support.

The new building would have replaced the current 14,880 square foot facility at 410 Newman Avenue.

A proposal for a $19.6 million library was defeated at the May 2021 town meeting.

Hibbert told the board there has been some maintenance on the facility.

“We’ve had some lighting replaced, we’ve had a roof replaced,” Hibbert noted. “But a lot needs to be done.”

Chairperson Michelle Hines told Hibbert the board couldn’t commit to placing an article asking for funding on a town meeting warrant.

“We have so many projects and we got to get together and decide what we’re going to put forth, what we’re going to do and in what order,” Hines said.