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Joint library trustees and town building committee say Westford library construction progressing as committee approves monthly payments
Summary
At a June 1 joint meeting, presenters reported that steel erection for the new Westford library is complete, MBLC grant disbursements totaling more than $2.5 million are being processed, several small change orders were noted and the committee approved the month’s warrants and the Amplifund report; contingency use stands near 12%.
The joint meeting of the Library Board of Trustees and the Town Building Committee on June 1 heard a construction progress update and approved monthly payments as work on the new library continues.
Jennifer Shore, presenting the May construction report, said steel erection for the new library is complete and multiple trades are working in parallel. "The steel erection is actually complete," she said, and described ongoing work on electrical conduit, floor boxes, roof drains, the air/vapor barrier and interior concrete pours. Shore said windows are on site and that submittals and RFIs remain active, with no safety incidents reported in May.
Ellen (surname not given) provided a finance update and described recent and upcoming disbursements from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC). "An additional 1,570,399 will be being wired to the town," Ellen said, and she added that an advance request for disbursement #5 of $1,000,000 would be filed mid-June. She said a partial $570,399 payment will fall into fiscal 2027 and that a separate escalation grant of $829,000 is scheduled to contract in July 2027.
The presenters reported that the project team has continued to refine the payment requisition for Hutter, the general contractor. Shore told the committee that Hutter’s original monthly payment application was roughly $30,000 higher than the revised warrant and that the design and owner’s project management teams negotiated reductions after questioning several percentage-of-completion claims on line items. She identified doors and frames, roofing and some HVAC items among the areas that generated discussion.
"This percentage adjustment is absolutely typical and it happens every single month," Shore said when asked by committee member Megan about whether the disagreement was routine. Shore explained the industry practice of circulating a draft or "pencil" requisition and then resolving percent-complete values through review and site verification by the on-site representative, Mark.
The committee reviewed three proposed small change orders (under $15,000) that were reported as administrative approvals: PCO7 — $2,303 for an added chase wall; PCO24 — $12,747 for additional electrical runs; and PCO35 — $10,219 for changes to wall and door types. The presenters said those items had been reviewed by town staff, the Finegold Alexander design team and CHA.
On contingency and budget tracking, committee members pressed for industry context. Ellen and Shore said the project has used about 11.96% of the contingency to date and that they monitor costs closely. Shore described weekly financial reviews and negotiations on change orders, saying the team does not foresee a single massive change order that would require funds beyond the established contingency. Megan said the update was helpful: "It seemed typical to me," she said after the explanation.
Votes at a glance - Approval of May 4 minutes: motion by Megan, second by Chris; outcome recorded in the transcript as approved (one abstention by Reert was recorded during the roll call). (See meeting record.) - Approval of warrants, invoices, and transfers (items A–G): motion and second; roll call recorded in the transcript as 12 in favor. The agenda listed the total payment amount on the warrant cover sheet (transcript text shows 1,535,33.37; see clarifying details for a transcription ambiguity.) - Approval of Amplifund monthly report (April 2026): motion by Glenn, second by Megan; roll-call vote recorded as 12–0–0 in favor.
What’s next Ellen said a short additional meeting would be posted for the following Monday to approve six purchase orders (four discussed in the packet and two new items) and a small transfer from contingency for commissioning and testing. The retaining wall work that requires Select Board permission was placed on the Select Board agenda for June 9 at 8:05 p.m. Committee members also discussed staggering committee term end dates to avoid mass turnover.
The joint committee approved the listed warrants and the Amplifund report and adjourned; trustees remained on the line for follow-up items.
