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Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners Resource Guide Collection

Libraries on the Waiting List for a Construction Grant: How much can the design change?

This much.

You must build what you said you would build in your grant application within the scope of your building program. This means:

  1. You can't reduce the size (square footage) of the building; increasing square footage is fine, but your grant amount will not increase
  2. You can't eliminate a major program / functional element
  3. You can't change the site
  4. You must spend at least as much in approved eligible costs as is specified in your grant application

A good example is the recently opened Scituate Town Library. Their original design was for a very modern two-story glass and steel addition onto their existing 1960s building. After receiving their grant, the town chose to hire a new architect and do a complete redesign. The result is a brick and wood siding addition/renovation with plenty of natural light. The site is the same; the total square footage is the same; all the program elements are there; but it looks completely different.

Contact Us

Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program

90 Canal Street, Suite 500
Boston, Massachusetts 02114
617-725-1860
800-952-7403 (in MA)
617-725-0140 (fax)

Need more information or help along the way?

Heather Backman, Library Building Specialist
617-725-1860, x245
857-283-5668 (Mobile)
heather.backman@mass.gov

Andrea Bono-Bunker, Library Building Consultant
617-725-1860, x246
857-488-6264 (Mobile)
andrea.bunker@mass.gov