SNOW HILL – The new Berlin library moved another step closer to reality this week as the Worcester County Commissioners authorized the start of the bidding process.
On Tuesday, the commissioners gave library officials approval to move ahead with the bidding process once documents are complete in January.
“I think it’s a great design,” Commissioner Ted Elder said. “It’s a beautiful addition to Berlin.”
Architect Jeff Schoellkopf told the commissioners permit plans for the $6.4 million project had recently been submitted to the Town of Berlin as well as to the Worcester County Fire Marshal. Construction is expected to begin in 2017.
“The existing library has been too small for many years,” he said. “It couldn’t be expanded because the fire department owns the property.”
The tiny Berlin branch currently sits on property owned by the Berlin Fire Company. The new facility, to be built nearby on Harrison Avenue, will be a substantially larger 11,500 square feet and will include state-of-the-art amenities.
Schoellkopf said the new two-story structure would feature a brick exterior with a metal roof.
“The building is situated on the lot close to the street,” Schoellkopf said.
Vehicles entering the property will be able to drop off patrons in front of the building via a bus loop. From there, they can exit or proceed to the library’s 60-space parking lot. The main entrance to the library will be off a large porch adjacent to the parking lot. Schoellkopf said landscaping would screen the building and its parking area from neighboring homes.
Inside, the library will have a children’s area to the left of the circulation desk, just as it does now, and adult books to the right. The second floor will house a teen area and a large meeting room. Schoellkopf said the meeting room would house 120 people sitting and had been designed with input from the Brown Box Theatre, a group that performs in the area. Schoellkopf said the room had a dividing wall so it could be made into two separate spaces. It also features retractable seating.
The library will have a 20-well geothermal system, which would save the facility $100,000 in energy costs over 20 years, Schoellkopf said.