Good News for Library Patrons

Township manager Scott Carew said Monday he “couldn’t be happier” with progress on the new town hall, and announced news that should make a number of residents happy as well.

According to Carew, the section of fencing that has blocked the sidewalk running adjacent to the courtyard in front of the library will soon be moved, making pedestrian commuting to the library slightly easier.

Library patrons complained about the fencing shortly after it was installed at the beginning of the year (with some suggesting a crosswalk be installed to further accommodate pedestrians), but Carew insisted it was necessary for safety purposes while construction was underway.

On Monday, he said, “We’re at a point of construction where allowing people to use the sidewalk is not going to cause a safety hazard.”

Architect Rick Ragan told township council the fence could be moved as early as this week.

Ragan also updated council on the progress of improvements to the Church Street Recreation Center. He said asbestos was removed from the second floor, the bathrooms on the first floor have been taken out, the ceiling in the gym has been replaced, and the gym floor is history.

Ragan told council he anticipates work on the new bathrooms and new gym floor will begin this week, with both projects finished by the end of September. He said the contractor, Newport Construction, has until the middle of December to complete the full project—which includes improvements to the third floor and the addition of an office area on the first floor—but most of the facility should reopen by the end of September, in time for the basketball season.

He also outlined roughly $20,000 in change orders the project has accrued—for work including repairs to the gym walls and providing electricity for hand dryers in the new restrooms—bringing the total project cost to $599,000. But, Ragan stressed, the project is still more than $20,000 under budget.

Council also discussed holding a special ceremony in the near future to mark a significant milestone in the construction of the new town hall—something akin to a beam topping.

Though the beam which would have been the focus of such a “topping off” ceremony is already in place, Carew said he and the project professionals “are looking for something to do.”

Ragan mentioned the installation of a cornerstone as one possibility.

The building is scheduled to be completed by next spring.