Going up! As final beams are placed, Grafton Library celebrates building milestone

Back in November when town officials and Grafton Public Library supporters gathered to break ground on the library extension, they gathered close with shovels, shook hands, and took turns at the microphone.

Library Director Beth Gallaway, looking out at a much smaller crowd Thursday at the expansion’s “topping off” ceremony, spoke glowingly of the people and agencies that got the project to this moment — the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, architects Drummey Rosane Anderson Inc. , CTA Construction, and the various contractors that brought the project to this point, the Library Board of Trustees, and the members of the Library Planning and Building Committee.

“In some ways, it feels just like last week, we were here for our November groundbreaking,” she said. “In other ways, it feels like a lifetime ago. We stand today — 6 feet apart, masks on, to celebrate a significant milestone.”

Due to COVID-19, the traditional signing of the final beam before it was lifted into place did not happen. It was merely lifted high into the air by a crane to the top of the structure, where an American flag waved.

The pandemic, which placed the project on hold during the statewide shutdown, wasn’t the only issue with construction of the $16.6 million project. The property’s past included a gas station, and underground storage tanks needed to be removed and contaminated soil removed at a cost of more than $850,000.

The project not only will expand the library, it will make it accessible to residents with handicaps, adding an elevator, removing the stacks, and retaining most of the original 1927 building, including the historic reading room. Other features include meeting and study rooms, expanded space for children, a teen area, more space for the library’s collections, including multimedia, and computers.

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