Architects present $35.7 million proposal for new South Yarmouth library; MBLC to award $13.44M grant

Architects and library leaders presented the proposed South Yarmouth library project to the Town of Yarmouth Finance Committee on March 11, describing a 25,000-square-foot, single-story building organized in three wings and a project budget with a $35.7 million grand total.

Matt Udens, principal architect at Udenello, ran the committee through site selection (parcel 60, after parcel 50 was found to be protected open space), parking reconfiguration to serve both the library and the adjacent MacArthur School, and a program that includes youth, adult and community wings, a large meeting room and an accessible lobby. “We’re looking at about a 32-month process” from approval to construction completion, he said, describing a roughly 12‑month design period, two months to bid and about 18 months of construction.

On costs, the presenters used the MBLC (Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners) spreadsheet and estimators’ reconciled pricing. The team presented a construction subtotal (fully loaded) of about $27.7 million, professional services around $4.35 million, FF&E roughly $1.67 million and contingencies that bring the total to approximately $35,700,000. They noted $3.5 million in non‑eligible costs (for example, the portion of new parking attributable to the school and a sewer hookup) and $32.185 million in eligible costs that form the MBLC grant basis.

Using Yarmouth’s MBLC need factor (8.36) and the grant’s layered percentage calculation, the grant award was shown as $13,442,768 (about 37.65% of total project costs). Matt told the committee that figure leaves an estimated town obligation to borrow approximately $22,263,322 before fundraising and potential green incentives. The presenters said the team is targeting roughly $2.5 million in fundraising; after $2.5 million and a $403,000 green incentive reimbursement the town’s net borrowing obligation would fall to roughly the low‑to‑mid $19 million range.

Committee members asked detailed follow-up questions. Several members urged a larger contingency and tighter escalation assumptions; one member recommended using 7–12% contingency for multi‑year projects rather than the 6% contingency included. Others pressed for a clearer operational-cost picture and a plan for what would happen to the existing South and West Yarmouth buildings if a new facility is built. The library director and staff said West Yarmouth’s future operation had been committed to by the select board and that South Yarmouth’s reuse had been the subject of community interest but had not been settled.

Judy emphasized the grant’s timing and opportunity: “this may be our last opportunity to have such a significant amount of the cost being underwritten by our dollars and somebody else’s dollars,” she said, urging careful but timely action. The project team also flagged an MBLC board meeting on April 2 where the submission and numbers will be finalized and the first 10% installment of the grant becomes available on contract acceptance.

The finance committee did not take a formal budget vote on the library at the meeting; members scheduled an additional session next week to finalize recommendations, address recusal issues for two members who stated appearances of conflict, and to request tighter operational-cost estimates and a clearer plan for staffing and reuse of existing facilities before making a final recommendation to the select board and town meeting.