When Long Island broke ground on a sunny day last Aug. 8 for its library and school addition, no one in the crowd was thinking of the challenges of constructing a building in the winter on an island.
CPM Constructors expected to complete the winterized shell by Christmas. But this year, winter came early. There were days when the water taxi couldn’t run, the ferry with supplies couldn’t dock, when a cement truck slid on black ice into Casco Bay. The island’s only store changed to winter hours (5pm-7pm): what’s a crew to do with no pizza or junk at lunch, or no fuel for the construction equipment?
Nonetheless, the intriguing outline of Long Island’s new library and educational center has taken shape in the snow banks next to the school. On the days when the blizzards clear and the clouds of sleet and icy rain abate, when the constructors aren’t shoveling snow (80 man-hours so far) or melting ice, islanders can appreciate the impressive design and imagine the uses the building will have when complete. On days when gale force winds aren’t hampering construction, Planning Committee members watch Robbie Herbert of CPM and his crew erecting walls or roof trusses. Often architect Frank Oliva or Town CEO Doug Webster are there with me, reviewing progress, asking questions or admiring the space and the construction process.
Already, when walking through the front entry and into the art gallery, a visitor can tell this building will be special. Turn right, and the large multipurpose room beckons, with its three tall windows and a stage at the end. The kitchen and bathroom spaces are nearby. Turn left instead and the open, sunny library, with a separate children’s area, affords a long view to a small meeting room with the woods behind, and a glimpse of the stacks and the technology center. The outline of the cozy reading area and the area for the circulation desk are framed in.
Long Islanders will finally have a place to gather in the winter, a place for movies, cultural events, or potluck suppers, complete with a stage. The school will have enough room for art, music and gym without disrupting academics. The cramped library, once out of the 694 sq. ft. in the school basement, will finally have room to offer computer education, adult education and ITV courses, and for special programming and story hours. There will be room to read, to study and to do research, especially important for our commuting middle and high school students. The whole complex will now be handicap-accessible and comfortable for the elderly. The Recreation Department will have a flexible space for after school programming.
But not yet…we have the funds to extend the construction contract to make the interior drywall-ready, and to install the drywall. Now we are looking for funds to finish the floors, the electrical, plumbing and mechanicals, and add shelving and equipment. We know the money is out there: we just have to find it! And we hope the snow and winds let go long enough to shingle the roofs, and the exterior, and install the windows.
The town’s website, where the photos of the contruction progress and fund raising progress are being kept more or less current, is www.townoflongisland.com.
– Nancy Jordan
Long Island