As the plan to renovate the E.C. Scranton Memorial Library moves forward, library officials have announced the closure of the main building downtown is complete and the new, temporary space in North Madison will be ready for patrons starting Thursday, Nov. 8.

The library’s last day in its main location on the Boston Post Road was Oct. 6. 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.

The temporary space is significantly smaller than the main library building, so not all of the library’s collection will be available to residents during the construction period.

According to a press release sent out by library officials regarding the opening of the temporary space, “While the library has taken only a portion of its collection to the Madison Earth Care location (the rest will be placed in storage), a wide range of teen, children’s books, and new releases will be available for patrons. Computers will be set up for patron use. Museum passes will continue to be available. There is adequate parking with an outdoor book drop.

“In addition,” the release continues, “Scranton Library patrons can rely on the LION sharing network to locate and request materials. The library will offer as much programming for both children and adults as possible while in the temporary location; look for specific offerings listed on the library website” www.scrantonlibrary.org.

The Nov. 8 opening date for the temporary location will be followed by a grand opening week celebration during which the library will hold a raffle among other activities. Current Library Director Laura Downes said the prizes include a gift certificate to Robert’s Food Center, a gift certificate to Madison Earth Care, and a gift certificate to Ashley’s Ice Cream.

“To enter the raffle, you must check out a book from our collection,” she said in a statement. “The drawing will take place on Saturday, Nov. 17 after closing. Winners will be notified on Monday, Nov. 19. The Children’s Department will also have a Storywalk up to view on the grounds of Madison Earth Care for the month of November. Come check out the new location and a few books.”

The Construction

The plan to renovate the E.C. Scranton Memorial Library was approved by the voters in 2017. Specifically, voters approved bonding $9 million for the renovation project and the library pledge to raise $6 million to cover the remaining project costs.

From the day the renovation was approved to now, the project has undergone significant changes including a shift in architects, projected cost overruns, energy operating concerns, and the proposed elimination of the Hull Building.

By far one of the largest challenges the Library Building committee encountered came up this summer after the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) threatened to withhold a large part of the renovation project funding over preservation of the Hull Building. The issue took time to resolve, but the committee and SHPO were eventually able to come to terms, sparing the project any more funding challenges or timeline issues.

With all approvals in place, the committee put the project out to bid this fall. According to the bid notice, interested contractors had until Nov. 2 to submit the complete bid package to Colliers International, the owner’s project manager.

Prior to that date, all interested bidders had to attend a pre-bid conference on Oct. 4 at the library. 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.”

Once bids come in and are complied for review, committee members are expected to meet in executive session the week of Nov. 12 to discuss and eventually award the construction project.

The temporary location officially opens Thursday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. For more information on the transition to the temporary space, visit www.scrantonlibrary.org or call 203-245-7365.