Library Building Costs Balloon! Now Estimated at $23.1 Million

Library Building Committee again recommends a Cadillac design for a new library proposal.  They selected the most expensive of three options to present at the May 22 Special Town Meeting.
The only good news is that this design would eliminate the drive-up book drop-off window of the previous design, and this latest design is 10% smaller than the previous one.
But the bad news is very bad indeed.
 (1)    The estimated cost of the latest design is $23.1 million.  Even with state reimbursement, this would burden Shrewsbury taxpayers with another $13 million of debt.
(2)    The architects now estimate construction costs at $600 per square foot.  This is outrageous.  Recently a library building project in another town was completed at a cost of only $400 per square foot, one third less.
In conclusion, the Shrewsbury Library Building Committee needs to curb its appetite for another costly project in these tough economic times.  It must plan for the rapid decline in printed books.  They need to recognize and compensate for the rapid growth of the Internet learning and e-books that are rapidly replacing paper books.


Brian Austin
Shrewsbury, MA