With the most recent historical hiccups now out of the way, the E.C. Scranton Library is ready to move out of its building downtown and put the renovation project out to bid. The library’s last day in its current location on the Boston Post Road will be Saturday, Oct. 6.

Recent clashes with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) had threatened the renovation project budget and timeline, but just over a week ago the building committee came to terms with SHPO so the project could move forward as planned.

The construction period for the renovation and expansion of the library is expected to take 18 to 24 months. During that time, the library will operate out of a smaller temporary location in North Madison on the Madison Earth Care property, located at 1250 Durham Road.

“It will be accessible and a practical location from which to serve patrons during the expansion and renovation of Scranton Library,” said Library Board of Trustees President Beth Coyne.

While the main library closes on Oct. 6, the library will not open to the public in the temporary space until early November to allow time for the move. According to a library press release, “the temporary library space will include public computers, new releases, a reading room, adult and teen books, DVDs, books on CDs, an early literacy station and children’s books. There is adequate parking with an outdoor book drop. Programs will be held at offsite locations”.

“As we settle into the space, we will evaluate to determine if there are additional services that can be offered from this location,” said Interim Library Director Laura Downes.

The book drop at the main library will stay open until Oct. 20, but requested items or holds will not be available for pick-up as the library moves into the temporary space. Library patrons can still access the online catalog and Madison library cardholders can use neighboring libraries to borrow and return books.

A Call for Bidders

As the library staff and collection prepare to leave the building, the building committee is now ready to put the project out to bid. According to the bid notice, interested contractors have until 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25 to submit the complete bid package to Colliers International, the owner’s project manager.

Prior to that date, all interested bidders must attend a pre-bid conference on Thursday, Oct. 4 at the Library and those who fail to do so may not be selected. In addition, the bid notice makes it clear that the project is partially funded by state money, so certain rules and restrictions apply.

“This project is funded with assistance of the State of Connecticut Public Library Construction Grant,” the document reads. “This project is subject to the State Prevailing Wage Rates. The selected contractor must be pre-qualified by the State Department of Administrative Services.”

For more information on the transition to the temporary space, visit www.scrantonlibrary.org or call 203-245-7365.