Options for Leverett’s former library building to be discussed in public sessions

LEVERETT — The public will have two changes this month to weigh in on the future of the town’s former library building at public information sessions scheduled for Saturday and on Feb. 12.

Opened as the Bradford M. Field Library in 1916 at 1 Shutesbury Road, the building, which has no running water and minimal heating, has mostly been used as a place to store historic artifacts for the past two decades.

With uncertainty around the future of what has become known as the Leverett Family Museum, the Field Building Ad Hoc Committee is holding the sessions Saturday at 2 p.m. and Feb. 12 at 6 p.m., both in person at Town Hall and remotely via Zoom. The sessions will set the stage for possible decisions by residents at annual Town Meeting in the spring.

The options on the table include keeping the building, built in a Colonial Revival style with a gambrel roof and fireplace in the center, as is, installing a septic system and bringing water to the 1.5-acre site so the building can begin to have multiple uses; selling the 865-square-foot building to the highest bidder; or moving the building to a new site, likely to become part of a campus with the current Leverett Library at 75 Montague Road.

“The Field Committee will give a presentation about what has been researched and the potential options for the future of the building,” said Maureen Ippolito, a member of the ad hoc committee. “Afterwards, residents will have the opportunity to ask questions and share their thoughts about the future of the building.”

Ippolito said the Select Board will be drafting the language for the warrant article, which will be based on a report the committee submits after the forums.

The committee has been working with Eric Gradoia, an architectural historian from Northfield, to provide expertise on the options.

This work has included a comprehensive assessment of the interior and exterior of the building, such as the roof, foundation, chimney, siding, ramp and stairs, walls, floors and electrical and heating systems. There has also been an evaluation by a structural engineer and estimates for preservation work needed to be in compliance with the federal Department of the Interior Historic Preservation Guidelines and Standards.

Should a septic system and well and related plumbing be done, plans have been drawn up showing an addition for a bathroom on the back of the building. Additional parking would also be necessary, along with accessibility improvements.

The committee got an estimate from Payne Construction Services to move the building one mile at $98,000, costs that don’t include pouring a new foundation, building a new chimney or the cost of police detail and charges from Eversource and Verizon for temporarily disconnecting lines.

As a contributing building to the Leverett Center Historic District, moving the building, though, could limit future grant opportunities.

The building takes its name from its benefactor, the Leverett postmaster for almost 50 years, who died in 1913. Field had been appointed to the position by then President Lincoln.

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