Frequently Asked Questions about the New Library
Why do we need a new library?
From staff experience and user surveys, we know that our patrons want more space—especially for children, teens, quiet study, collaborative and small-group work, lectures and presentations, and universal access.
- Our current building is beautiful, but unfortunately it does not meet our needs. Adults and teens do not have enough space for private or collaborative work. The children’s room is too small, cramped and uncomfortable. Both adult and youth collections are constrained by inadequate shelf space. The Raytheon Room is too small for popular events, poorly ventilated, and is often used for children’s story time and activities. The Raytheon Room is too heavily used to be available for increased demand for educational and informative classes, seminars, workshops, and for community groups. Parking is insufficient. The building periodically floods.
- The current library does not fully support our town’s demand for educational excellence.
Why can’t we expand on the current site, at 5 Concord Road?
The Board of Library Trustees and the Wayland Library Planning Committee have studied this question for years, and hired architects to conduct studies on how it might be done. The barriers fall into three categories: architectural, legal, and environmental.
- Architectural: Because of obstructions on all four sides, the building cannot be expanded in an attractive or comfortable way. Any addition that would fit on the site would be too small or too awkwardly shaped to meet our needs. An addition large enough to meet our needs would look extremely unattractive.
- Legal: 5 Concord Road is constrained by its location in Wayland’s Aquifer Protection District (which restricts the impermeable coverage on the site) by the Wetlands Protection Act, and by our Zoning Bylaw. Even if a new building would fit comfortably on the site, these environmental protections would prohibit its construction.
- Environmental: Because the building and lot are located in an area with a high-water table and adjoins a wetland, it periodically floods.
What features will the new library have for adults?
The new library provides the features Wayland users have been asking for:
- A variety of seating options throughout the building
- An enclosed quiet area for uninterrupted work
- Small, quiet study rooms for individual and small-group work
- A midsize conference room for community meetings
- A large meeting room with windows, good sight lines, and up-to-date presentation technology, which will allow a greater variety of lectures, films, classes, and other events
- Upgraded technology throughout the building
- Flexible space for tech classes and “maker”/ innovative programming
- Space for a larger collection
- A café area, a conversational space
- Adequate parking
- Full ADA compliance for those with wheelchairs, crutches, strollers, or other mobility needs
What features will the new library have for children and their parents or caregivers?
The light-filled children’s room will be larger and much more flexible. It is designed to encourage a love of learning in our youngest residents. It will offer:
- Adequate comfortable seating for both children and adults, so families can curl up with a book together
- A play area for toddlers and preschoolers
- Child-accessible stacks
- Reading and work areas for school-aged children
- A flexible space for story time and arts-and-crafts, with a washable floor
- Computers in locations that can be easily accessed by children and adults
- A children’s bathroom
- A place to hang coats and park strollers
What features will the new library have for teenagers and tweens?
Teens and tweens will finally have a room of their own. Located next to the middle school, and easily reached from the high school, this teen space will quickly become an after-school destination for learning and engagement. It will offer:
- Comfortable seating for reading
- Quiet areas for study
- Work tables for collaborative study or socializing
- Up-to-date computers and technology
- Flexible space for “maker”/ innovative activities
- Programming tailored for this age group, held in their own space and responsive to their changing interests and needs
- Professional librarian for instruction and research assistance
How was the size of the new building determined?
Our square footage is based on a combination of staff input, national standards and state library guidelines, usage in neighboring and comparable libraries in peer towns of similar size. The plan also accommodates an expected increase in use from Middle School and other students and from residents living nearby. The state requires us to design for our anticipated needs over the next 20 years.
Isn’t the new location less central? How convenient is it for those from north Wayland?
The new site is in the demographic center of town, within walking distance for many residents and close to four of our five public schools. The distance from this site to the most remote point in north Wayland is 5.9 miles.
People keep talking about $18M in cost. But the warrant says $28M. Why?
- The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners strongly recommends the total cost of the project be authorized by towns receiving state library construction grants. (The same was done when the high school project was authorized at Special Town Meeting 2009.) The total cost of the new library project is $28M.
- However, the MBLC has offered Wayland a one-time grant of $10,137,980 for this project, and the Wayland Trustees are contributing an additional $750,000 from their Millennium Fund, leaving a net estimated cost of $18,052,730 from Wayland taxpayers.
- Wayland’s Permanent Municipal Building Committee, which is working with the Board of Library Trustees on this project, has included in the $18M figure escalations and contingencies for rising costs—so that is the maximum our town would spend.
What will happen to 5 Concord Road?
The building will continue to be owned by the town. As part of a thoughtful and comprehensive process, the Board of Selectman will consider alternate uses for the building for it to remain a public space with a continued civic life. The Library Planning Committee suggests a committee be appointed to gather and generate ideas. Wayland residents will have a strong voice in the future of this building. The Trustees and Library Planning Committee have received comments from residents on possible future uses. The LPC has already held a round of idea gathering for possible future uses of 5 Concord Road.
How much will my taxes go up?
The Wayland Finance Committee estimates an average household tax increase of $6.01 a week, or $313 in the first year, and declining in the following years – with a total of $4,721 for a twenty-year project.
If the article doesn’t pass at the election and at Town Meeting, we can just vote again next year, right?
- If the article does not pass in April 2018, Wayland will lose the $10.1 million state grant. That money will be offered to another town for its library construction project.
- Massachusetts has offered library grants only three times since 2000. There are no current plans for another grant round of this type.
