Kensington Grange trustees consider hosting library during 10–15 month renovation

Kensington Grange trustees on April 10 discussed a request from the Kensington Library to use the Grange building as a temporary home while the library’s planned addition is built, with the library proposing a 10– to 15‑month move beginning at the end of August 2026.

The trustees said the move would require shifting metal shelving from the stacks and eight children’s bins into the Grange; Sawyer Room furniture would remain in place and boxed or tarped storage was proposed. Trustees noted shelving cannot be attached to interior walls and emphasized the need to establish whether the Grange floor can safely bear the load of book stacks.

Meghan Gross (Trustee) said the library board has asked to proceed with demolition and construction this August and that the library expects a temporary relocation. Frank Whittemore (Trustee) said he believes the floor is adequate but trustees agreed to obtain an engineer’s inspection and a load‑capacity measurement before finalizing arrangements. Whittemore agreed to measure the expected weight of shelf installations and to contact a historic‑building engineer (John Wathney was named as a possible consultant). Gross said she would also contact the owner of the Grafton library to learn whether they had an engineer inspect load capacity; Susan Gilbert (Trustee, referred to in the minutes as "Susie") said she would reach out to a State Library contact.

Trustees discussed operational matters they said must be resolved before any move: whether septic upgrades are required given an average of about 20–25 visitors per day at the library, how rental fees for the Grange would be set for the period (trustees agreed to review current rental income to identify a reasonable annual sum), and which party would pay utility and heating costs (library representatives agreed to pay heating while using the building). Frank Whittemore said hosting the library during the short transition should take precedence over other community events; Gilbert said the Grange’s location would be convenient for accessing library materials.

The trustees also considered how the temporary library use could affect an ongoing General Store proposal. Whittemore proposed offering the Caseys a portion of the building to sell products, and minutes record that the library board was open to allowing the Caseys to market products or offerings in part of the space, possibly without charge.

Trustees assigned follow‑up tasks: estimate a reasonable annual rental fee (compare to existing rental revenue), request placement of the matter on the Board of Selectmen’s April 21 agenda, obtain an engineer’s load assessment, consult State Library contacts and the Grafton library owner about prior inspections, and verify septic requirements. The trustees did not make a final decision at the April 10 meeting; they set responsibilities and information requests to return with more data at a future meeting.

Next steps noted by the trustees are a combination of technical checks and outreach: Frank Whittemore will measure stack weight and contact an engineer, Susan Gilbert will contact the State Library, Meghan Gross will consult the Grafton owner, and the trustees will calculate a rental fee recommendation to present to the Board of Selectmen.