The Library Facilities Needs Assessment Committee met at the Hatfield Public Library at 8:12 a.m.
Present: Martin Antonetti, Dodie Gaudet, Susan Gaughan, Lynn Omasta, and Mary Williams
Absent: Harold Green, Milton Howard, Sheila McCormick, and Mike Paszek
Committee members reviewed the questions we had developed at our last meeting. We combined a few and revised a few others.
ACTION ITEM: Martin will create a spreadsheet with space between the questions for committee members to take notes at the interviews.
ACTION ITEM: Lynn will contact Harold to confirm that he has reserved a room at Smith Academy and to find out exactly which room we will be in.
There was also some discussion as to what we might do if the weather is very hot. Can we turn on the air conditioning? Having fans running makes it too noisy to hear or record the session for broadcast.
We discussed the format of the interviews in more detail. Committee introductions should be about 30 seconds/person and include only name, whether or not we represent a particular group, and any specific skill or qualification we bring to the committee (e.g. librarian, engineer, construction background). As the architectural firm makes its introduction/presentation, many of our questions may be answered. Other questions may arise. We need to be flexible. It is a good idea to re-read each firm’s proposal shortly before the interview.
PLEASE NOTE: Committee members should arrive at 5:30. One committee member should wait at the door to escort the architect to the library or TV studio as Smith Academy can sometimes be confusing to negotiate.
The next meeting will be Thursday, July 10, 5:30 p.m. at Smith Academy. Specific room to be determined.
Meeting adjourned at 8:53 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dodie Gaudet
Secretary
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
LFNAC Minutes June 7, 2008
The Library Facilities Needs Assessment Committee met at the Hatfield Public Library at 8:05 a.m.
Present: Martin Antonetti, Dodie Gaudet, Susan Gaughan, Harold Green, Milton Howard, Sheila McCormick, Lynn Omasta, and Mary Williams
Absent: Mike Paszek
Committee members had each developed questions to ask the architects. Other questions evolved during our discussion. Some of these questions need to be combined and/or refined
1. How do you effectively manage the project team and relay information to its consultants and personnel?
2. What is your ability to solve technical and design problems?
3. What do you do to pull the project back when it starts running over budget?
4. How will your firm’s size impact the time and attention given to this project compared to other larger/smaller firms?
5. What specific issues often develop when your firm has worked with small communities in the past? How do you fix them?
6. What two projects do you see as most typical of your firm’s work and how do they fit in Hatfield?
7. Elaborate on what you have done that is most suitable for Hatfield.
8. What does your PR/marketing campaign look like? What are your strategies for an effective campaign?
9. What percentage of your work is for Massachusetts public clients? (We want to know how familiar the firm is with state rules and regulations.)
10. What is your overall design philosophy?
11. Knowing what you know about Hatfield, do you prefer a new building or a renovation/addition?
12. What percentage of your design projects were built by you? Why? (If there are 2 different firms for design and building phase, we will pay for some of the work to be done twice.)
13. How do you plan to communicate with this committee?
14. What is your strategy for sticking to a timeline?
15. How often do we see the principal?
16. What exactly is the role of Design Director, Principal in Charge, Project Architect?
17. Explain roles and responsibilities of the Project Team and how often will we see each person?
18. What is your procedure for selecting equipment and systems?
19. What is the best way to handle the dichotomy of having a green building and also having simple maintenance?
20. Do you recommend LEED certification? How do you incorporate green aspects without certification?
21. How much help can you give us with securing grants? Green? Historical?
We also discussed the format of the interviews as well as length of interview and issues to be addressed.
Format:
Committee opening statement
Introduction of Committee members
Opening statement from the design firm: Why they are the best choice; general design principles; why they feel they are a good fit for Hatfield.
Questions from the Committee
Length:
Maximum 1 ½ hours
We’ll allow ½ hour for their presentation and ½ hour for our questions.
Issues:
The presentation/interview will likely be taped for broadcast at a later date.
These are open meetings, not public forums. Only Committee members ask questions.
Firms must bring their own audiovisual equipment.
We want the Project Team to be at the interviews. If not, why?
The final building must fit in with the Hatfield historic district.
Committee members should look at the website for the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. It has a lot of information on renewable energy and available grants. http://www.mtpc.org/
The next meeting will be Saturday, June 21, 8:00 a.m. at the Hatfield Public Library.
Meeting adjourned at 9:17 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dodie Gaudet
Secretary
Saturday, June 21, 2008
LFNAC UPDATE June 2008
LFNAC members have been meeting every two weeks and here’s what we’ve accomplished.
We reviewed again the proposals of the eight architectural firms that made the cut for semi-finalist and narrowed the field to five. We have scheduled interviews for the firms on the following dates:
July 10 Durland Van Voorhis
July 14 Michael Rosenfeld
July 17 DRA
July 28 Margo Jones
July 31 Hale
All interviews will be held at Smith Academy at 6:00 p.m. and will last approximately 1 ½ hours. All interviews will be taped for broadcast at a later date.
At its last meeting, the Committee developed a series of questions to ask all of the finalists.
LFNAC consists of nine members: Library Director Sheila McCormick; Library Trustee Dodie Gaudet; Historical Commission Liaison Lynn Omasta, Vice-Chair; Martin Antonetti, Susan Gaughan; Harold Green, Chair; Milton Howard; Mike Paszek; and Mary Williams.
The work of this Committee is funded through a $40,000 grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, $8,000 from the Friends of Hatfield Library, $4,000 from Hatfield Library Funds and $8,000 from the town of Hatfield, approved at the May 2007 Town meeting.
We reviewed again the proposals of the eight architectural firms that made the cut for semi-finalist and narrowed the field to five. We have scheduled interviews for the firms on the following dates:
July 10 Durland Van Voorhis
July 14 Michael Rosenfeld
July 17 DRA
July 28 Margo Jones
July 31 Hale
All interviews will be held at Smith Academy at 6:00 p.m. and will last approximately 1 ½ hours. All interviews will be taped for broadcast at a later date.
At its last meeting, the Committee developed a series of questions to ask all of the finalists.
LFNAC consists of nine members: Library Director Sheila McCormick; Library Trustee Dodie Gaudet; Historical Commission Liaison Lynn Omasta, Vice-Chair; Martin Antonetti, Susan Gaughan; Harold Green, Chair; Milton Howard; Mike Paszek; and Mary Williams.
The work of this Committee is funded through a $40,000 grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, $8,000 from the Friends of Hatfield Library, $4,000 from Hatfield Library Funds and $8,000 from the town of Hatfield, approved at the May 2007 Town meeting.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
LFNAC Minutes May 24, 2008
The Library Facilities Needs Assessment Committee met at the Hatfield Public Library at 9:10 a.m.
Present: Martin Antonetti, Dodie Gaudet, Susan Gaughan, Harold Green, Milton Howard, Sheila McCormick, Lynn Omasta, and Mike Paszek
Absent: Mary Williams
We met outside on the lawn. Our usual meeting space, the adult non-fiction room in the basement, was too dark to use. The lights had overheated two days earlier and cannot be used until they are replaced. There is no other space available for 8 people to meet inside the library.
We began by making a tally of the top 4 choices of architects from each committee member. Durland Van Voorhis and DRA were the top two. Hale, Margo Jones, Michael Rosenfeld and Tappe were tied, and we began discussing these four in hopes of narrowing the choices to two.
MOVED and SECONDED: that Margo Jones be one of the architects interviewed. There are some committee members who know Margo, know her work, like her and know they can work with her. Her firm is small which means she is actively involved in all projects; she is also local. Other members voiced concerns that her firm may be too small and lack depth; her evaluations on DCAM are not as good as some other companies; she has not built many libraries, and her response to our RFQ was not as strong as some others.
The motion was TABLED until after discussing all of the remaining architects.
Do we want to interview all 6? Should we try to eliminate more companies? After more discussion, the five finalists are Durland Van Voorhis, DRA, Hale, Margo Jones, and Michael Rosenfeld.
The committee set 5 dates for interviews. The dates are all Mondays and Thursdays: July 10, 14, 17, 28, and 31 all at 6:00 p.m. Architects are expected to give a presentation as part of the interview process. Interviews will be held at Smith Academy and will be televised for broadcast on the local cable station. Harold will make the arrangements. Sheila will notify the architects as to our choices for finalists and schedule interview dates
Sheila is still working on the building program, specifically the sections on functional space. The draft of what she has completed to date will be sent to the five finalists before the scheduled interviews.
Sheila submitted an invoice for payment for the hours she has worked beyond her regular schedule. MOVED, SECONDED and VOTED to pay the invoice from grant funds.
Next meeting will be Saturday, June 7, 9:00 a.m. at the Hatfield Public Library. We will prepare questions that we want the architects to answer as part of the interview process.
The following meeting will be Saturday, June 21, 9:00 a.m. at the Hatfield Public Library.
Meeting adjourned at 10:33 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dodie Gaudet
Secretary
Present: Martin Antonetti, Dodie Gaudet, Susan Gaughan, Harold Green, Milton Howard, Sheila McCormick, Lynn Omasta, and Mike Paszek
Absent: Mary Williams
We met outside on the lawn. Our usual meeting space, the adult non-fiction room in the basement, was too dark to use. The lights had overheated two days earlier and cannot be used until they are replaced. There is no other space available for 8 people to meet inside the library.
We began by making a tally of the top 4 choices of architects from each committee member. Durland Van Voorhis and DRA were the top two. Hale, Margo Jones, Michael Rosenfeld and Tappe were tied, and we began discussing these four in hopes of narrowing the choices to two.
MOVED and SECONDED: that Margo Jones be one of the architects interviewed. There are some committee members who know Margo, know her work, like her and know they can work with her. Her firm is small which means she is actively involved in all projects; she is also local. Other members voiced concerns that her firm may be too small and lack depth; her evaluations on DCAM are not as good as some other companies; she has not built many libraries, and her response to our RFQ was not as strong as some others.
The motion was TABLED until after discussing all of the remaining architects.
Do we want to interview all 6? Should we try to eliminate more companies? After more discussion, the five finalists are Durland Van Voorhis, DRA, Hale, Margo Jones, and Michael Rosenfeld.
The committee set 5 dates for interviews. The dates are all Mondays and Thursdays: July 10, 14, 17, 28, and 31 all at 6:00 p.m. Architects are expected to give a presentation as part of the interview process. Interviews will be held at Smith Academy and will be televised for broadcast on the local cable station. Harold will make the arrangements. Sheila will notify the architects as to our choices for finalists and schedule interview dates
Sheila is still working on the building program, specifically the sections on functional space. The draft of what she has completed to date will be sent to the five finalists before the scheduled interviews.
Sheila submitted an invoice for payment for the hours she has worked beyond her regular schedule. MOVED, SECONDED and VOTED to pay the invoice from grant funds.
Next meeting will be Saturday, June 7, 9:00 a.m. at the Hatfield Public Library. We will prepare questions that we want the architects to answer as part of the interview process.
The following meeting will be Saturday, June 21, 9:00 a.m. at the Hatfield Public Library.
Meeting adjourned at 10:33 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dodie Gaudet
Secretary
Saturday, May 31, 2008
LFNAC Minutes May 10, 2008
The Library Facilities Needs Assessment Committee met at the Town Hall 9:10 a.m.
Present: Martin Antonetti, Dodie Gaudet, Susan Gaughan, Harold Green, Milton Howard, Sheila McCormick, Mike Paszek and Mary Williams
Absent: Lynn Omasta
The meeting was devoted to preparing for Town Meeting to be held on May 13. The Committee expects there will be resistance to selling the Center School and that some residents may suggest the Town keep the building and move the Library into it. Since we toured the building we believe the old Center School is not a good location for the library for the following reasons:
· It is too large and if we share the building with another organization we jeopardize our funding from the Mass. Board of Library Commissioners since they will not fund any shared spaces.
· The building was not built to house a library; it is not well configured for that purpose; there is a question about its load bearing capacity
· The building is in poor condition inside and would require a lot of money to renovate
· In order to be used as a public building it would need an elevator, ramps and other accessibility features adding to the cost
· The Committee is planning a community room that would hold 100 people. There is inadequate parking for even 50 cars
· The library planning process will take another year. After everything has been approved by the town and the MBLC, we will be placed on a waiting list for MBLC funding. It is likely that the library will not be in a new facility for another 6-8 years and in the meantime the Center School will continue to deteriorate.
Harold will write up these talking points to distribute to Committee Members. One or two members should be ready to speak at Town Meeting if necessary.
Next meeting: Saturday, May 24 at 9:00 a.m. at Town Hall (later changed to the Library)
At that meeting we will discuss the qualifications of the 8 architects who are semi-finalists and narrow the field to 3 or no more than 4.
Meeting adjourned at 10:20 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dodie Gaudet
Secretary
Present: Martin Antonetti, Dodie Gaudet, Susan Gaughan, Harold Green, Milton Howard, Sheila McCormick, Mike Paszek and Mary Williams
Absent: Lynn Omasta
The meeting was devoted to preparing for Town Meeting to be held on May 13. The Committee expects there will be resistance to selling the Center School and that some residents may suggest the Town keep the building and move the Library into it. Since we toured the building we believe the old Center School is not a good location for the library for the following reasons:
· It is too large and if we share the building with another organization we jeopardize our funding from the Mass. Board of Library Commissioners since they will not fund any shared spaces.
· The building was not built to house a library; it is not well configured for that purpose; there is a question about its load bearing capacity
· The building is in poor condition inside and would require a lot of money to renovate
· In order to be used as a public building it would need an elevator, ramps and other accessibility features adding to the cost
· The Committee is planning a community room that would hold 100 people. There is inadequate parking for even 50 cars
· The library planning process will take another year. After everything has been approved by the town and the MBLC, we will be placed on a waiting list for MBLC funding. It is likely that the library will not be in a new facility for another 6-8 years and in the meantime the Center School will continue to deteriorate.
Harold will write up these talking points to distribute to Committee Members. One or two members should be ready to speak at Town Meeting if necessary.
Next meeting: Saturday, May 24 at 9:00 a.m. at Town Hall (later changed to the Library)
At that meeting we will discuss the qualifications of the 8 architects who are semi-finalists and narrow the field to 3 or no more than 4.
Meeting adjourned at 10:20 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dodie Gaudet
Secretary
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
LFNAC UPDATE May 2008
LFNAC members have been very busy during March and April. We’ve been meeting every two weeks and have accomplished the following things.
The Committee hosted a “pre-bid walk-through” for the architectural firms interested in responding to our RFQ or Request for Qualifications. Representatives from 19 firms toured the Dickinson building, the Town Hall and the areas surrounding both buildings. They looked at the Center School, too, and also viewed the area adjacent to Smith Academy.
Fifteen of those firms submitted information by the deadline on April 12. The committee has narrowed its choice to eight companies. We will discuss these in more detail and choose 3 or 4 semi-finalists to be interviewed. The finalist will help the Committee locate the best site for the new Hatfield Library.
LFNAC met with the Library Trustees, the Historical Commission, the Historical Society and the Selectboard at the end of March to let all of them know what progress has been made and to discuss the future of Dickinson Memorial should the library move. It’s still too early to know whether the building will be renovated and added to for the library or if a brand new building will be built. The above groups will meet again in the future when LFNAC’s plans are further along.
The Committee now has a blog! You can read the minutes from all meetings at http://hatfieldlfnac.blogspot.com/
LFNAC consists of nine members: Library Director Sheila McCormick; Library Trustee Dodie Gaudet; Historical Commission Liaison Lynn Omasta; Martin Antonetti, Susan Gaughan; Harold Green, Chair; Milton Howard; Mike Paszek; and Mary Williams.
The Committee hosted a “pre-bid walk-through” for the architectural firms interested in responding to our RFQ or Request for Qualifications. Representatives from 19 firms toured the Dickinson building, the Town Hall and the areas surrounding both buildings. They looked at the Center School, too, and also viewed the area adjacent to Smith Academy.
Fifteen of those firms submitted information by the deadline on April 12. The committee has narrowed its choice to eight companies. We will discuss these in more detail and choose 3 or 4 semi-finalists to be interviewed. The finalist will help the Committee locate the best site for the new Hatfield Library.
LFNAC met with the Library Trustees, the Historical Commission, the Historical Society and the Selectboard at the end of March to let all of them know what progress has been made and to discuss the future of Dickinson Memorial should the library move. It’s still too early to know whether the building will be renovated and added to for the library or if a brand new building will be built. The above groups will meet again in the future when LFNAC’s plans are further along.
The Committee now has a blog! You can read the minutes from all meetings at http://hatfieldlfnac.blogspot.com/
LFNAC consists of nine members: Library Director Sheila McCormick; Library Trustee Dodie Gaudet; Historical Commission Liaison Lynn Omasta; Martin Antonetti, Susan Gaughan; Harold Green, Chair; Milton Howard; Mike Paszek; and Mary Williams.
LFNAC Minutes April 26, 2008
The Library Facilities Needs Assessment Committee met at the Center School at 58 Main St at 8:00 a.m.
Present: Martin Antonetti, Dodie Gaudet, Susan Gaughan, Harold Green, Lynn Omasta, and Mary Williams
Absent: Milton Howard, Sheila McCormick and Mike Paszek
The Committee toured the Center School to see if it might be a viable option for the new Hatfield Public Library. The Committee continued its meeting at the Town Hall and discussed what it had observed of the Center School. The building is in poor shape including the roof, there is water damage, the basement is damp, there is no wheelchair accessibility and there is minimal parking. The space is too large for what we need and would have to be shared with another organization complicating funding from the Mass. Board of Library Commissioners. The building is poorly configured for a library and would have to be gutted. An elevator plus other means of access would be required, making the project extremely costly. The Committee decided that the school is an unlikely possibility for a library. Also, since the town voted unanimously to sell the building at Town Meeting, that vote should stand.
MOVED, SECONDED and VOTED The Committee will not to consider the Center School for the new Hatfield Public Library.
We discussed the 15 responses to our RFQ. Seven firms were eliminated based on the criteria we set. We discussed the pros and cons of the remaining eight. They are Caolo & Bieniek, DRA, Hale Associates, Durland Van Voorhis, J. Stewart Roberts, Margo Jones, and Tappe. We decided to re-read these eight responses based on our discussion and re-rank them for a future meeting. At that point, we plan to narrow our choices to 3-4 firms.
Mary reported on the recent meeting of the Historical Society. They voted to take over responsibility of the Dickinson Building if the Library moves out. However, they are not going to make firm plans until LFNAC is further along in its process.
At our next meeting, we will prepare for Town Meeting. Members will come to the LFNAC meeting with a written list all of the reasons for not using the Center School as a Library and we will compile them into one handout.
At our next meeting we will also discuss the date of the following meeting. It is tentatively scheduled for May 24, but since that is the Memorial Holiday weekend, our meeting may be rescheduled.
Next meeting: Saturday, May 10 at 9:00 a.m. at Town Hall.
Meeting adjourned at 9:20 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dodie Gaudet
Secretary
Present: Martin Antonetti, Dodie Gaudet, Susan Gaughan, Harold Green, Lynn Omasta, and Mary Williams
Absent: Milton Howard, Sheila McCormick and Mike Paszek
The Committee toured the Center School to see if it might be a viable option for the new Hatfield Public Library. The Committee continued its meeting at the Town Hall and discussed what it had observed of the Center School. The building is in poor shape including the roof, there is water damage, the basement is damp, there is no wheelchair accessibility and there is minimal parking. The space is too large for what we need and would have to be shared with another organization complicating funding from the Mass. Board of Library Commissioners. The building is poorly configured for a library and would have to be gutted. An elevator plus other means of access would be required, making the project extremely costly. The Committee decided that the school is an unlikely possibility for a library. Also, since the town voted unanimously to sell the building at Town Meeting, that vote should stand.
MOVED, SECONDED and VOTED The Committee will not to consider the Center School for the new Hatfield Public Library.
We discussed the 15 responses to our RFQ. Seven firms were eliminated based on the criteria we set. We discussed the pros and cons of the remaining eight. They are Caolo & Bieniek, DRA, Hale Associates, Durland Van Voorhis, J. Stewart Roberts, Margo Jones, and Tappe. We decided to re-read these eight responses based on our discussion and re-rank them for a future meeting. At that point, we plan to narrow our choices to 3-4 firms.
Mary reported on the recent meeting of the Historical Society. They voted to take over responsibility of the Dickinson Building if the Library moves out. However, they are not going to make firm plans until LFNAC is further along in its process.
At our next meeting, we will prepare for Town Meeting. Members will come to the LFNAC meeting with a written list all of the reasons for not using the Center School as a Library and we will compile them into one handout.
At our next meeting we will also discuss the date of the following meeting. It is tentatively scheduled for May 24, but since that is the Memorial Holiday weekend, our meeting may be rescheduled.
Next meeting: Saturday, May 10 at 9:00 a.m. at Town Hall.
Meeting adjourned at 9:20 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dodie Gaudet
Secretary
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