The $10 million renovation of the Abbot Public Library is nearing completion, with plans to reopen the facility in June, the library’s executive director, Kimberly Grad, told the Marblehead Current.
Construction crews are finishing interior and exterior work on the building at 235 Pleasant St., which closed in October 2022. Once reopened, patrons can expect major improvements like a redesigned main floor, an accessible courtyard, small meeting rooms, a makerspace and more.
“I’m so excited to welcome the community of Marblehead to the renovated library,” Grad said. “It’s bright and airy with a classic design. It will be the perfect place to meet friends or colleagues, attend a program or a gallery exhibit, work on a project, find your next great read or speak with our friendly staff for recommendations.”
The project has been years in the making, with planning starting in late 2017. The town approved funding in June 2021, which included an $8.5 million override plus $1.5 million from the library’s nonprofit fundraising arm, the Abbot Public Library Foundation.
Gary Amberik, chair of the library’s board of trustees as well as the renovation oversight committee, said accessing that funding and community support has been a major success.
“The fact that we were able to raise $1 million in private funding towards the renovation is amazing,” Amberik said.
So far, costs have remained on budget without any major changes, he said. With price spikes due to inflation, the project did use up its full contingency fund but will still finish within the original $10 million goal.
One of Amberik’s favorite new features include the maker space, which will feature technology like a laser cutter, 3D printer and podcast studio.
Since its closure in the fall of 2022, the library has been operating out of the former Eveleth Elementary School at 3 Brook Road — a temporary relocation that Grad said has worked well. Attendance and circulation saw double-digit percentage increases in 2023 even in the smaller interim space.
“We have been welcomed by the neighborhood around 3 Brook Road,” she said. “Patrons especially enjoyed the convenience and the large parking lot. We attracted a small group of teen volunteers and the children’s room was busier than ever, likely boosted by the proximity of the recently spruced-up neighboring Hobbs Playground.”
With the Pleasant Street building soon ready for its long-awaited re-debut, Grad’s team is now planning the transition back. That will include shifting utilities, IT infrastructure and internet access back to the permanent library ahead of new furniture and shelving deliveries.
“Contractors are currently working on finishing the interior and exterior of the library, and later on this spring, landscapers will be tending to the library grounds,” said Grad. “Meanwhile, I am working on a detailed move-in plan in which we will be accepting deliveries of furniture, shelving and equipment and items that we have stored during the renovation.”
Both locations of the library will be closed for a few weeks later this spring.
“During the first phase of the move, staff will only be available by email while we shift phone and internet service back to Pleasant Street,” Grad said.
The library maintained full operations with no layoffs during construction by adapting programs and services. Now Grad looks forward to enhanced offerings enabled by the renovation.
Upgrades like new self-checkout kiosks, digital signs, stronger Wi-Fi, a video conferencing-ready event center and more will improve access and better position the library to serve Marblehead for years to come, Grad said.
An official ribbon cutting and grand opening event will be announced in May. For now, finishing touches continue both inside and out as the building enters its final months of revitalization.
“We’ve come a long way but still have a lot to finish ahead of the reopening of the library, but we are still on track for a late spring grand opening,” Amberik said.
