With Two Weeks To Go, EGHS Library Renovation Will Cut It Close

When the , they knew that the timing would be tight.

Now, with two weeks left in December, the pedal meets the metal.

At issue is a 40 percent reimbursement they are counting on from the state that will only be paid if the project is complete by Dec. 31.

During a visit to the library mid-construction this week, Ken Romeo of project management company Strategic Building Solutions said the library will be done - mostly.

"There'll be a punch list," he said, referring to a the list of usually smaller things that often need to be completed after the bulk of the construction is complete.

Romeo said he and other officials had met with the state Department of Education last week and he's confident that they will be satisfied with the library's state of completion by the end of the month.

The renovation will replace light fixtures, reconfigure the circulation area, provide increased seating and computer areas, and new paint. It will also provide an additional classroom on the second floor.

In October, School Building Committee Chairman Jay Gowell stated the case of the library renovation to the Council.

“Clearly the high school library is the top priority - it’s state-of-the-art 1967,” he said. “It was sort of glaringly obvious that this is the most important thing at the high school.”