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04/25/2018 08:27 AMLearning a project will receive a grant from the state is a great thing, but even better is when the state actually releases the money to the project. Earlier this month, the State Bond Commission formally released the $1 million state grant for the E.C. Scranton Memorial Library renovation project, checking off another box before project construction can get under way.
The library project received a $1 million grant through the Connecticut State Library before the renovation project went to referendum back in 2017. The project to renovate the library is estimated to cost $15 million, but due to grants and fundraising efforts, the library asked the town to bond for $9.1 million.
When the funds were formally released, State Representative Noreen Kokoruda (R-101), who helped secure both state grants for the project, said she was pleased to see the state take this formal step.
“The E.C. Scranton Memorial Library is a historic building and integral part of our Madison community. I commend the Scranton Memorial Library Board of Directors for going back to the drawing board and then waiting patiently to be able to move their expansion plans forward. These funds will be used to fulfill their much-needed improvement goals,” said Kokoruda. “I want to thank the state of Connecticut for working with the library in an effort of improving the quality of life for Madison residents of all ages. In the future, I hope that Madison voters will join me in supporting this important historic asset.”
Library Director Beth Crowley said she is pleased with the show of support from the state, but there are a few more hoops to jump through before the library can put its hands on the grant money.
When the library applied for the grant, it was not made immediately clear that the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) also needed to sign off on the project design. Crowley previously said the state library approved of the plan for the renovation, but SHPO has a few concerns.
SHPO raised concerns that the Hull Building is not going to be saved and that there has been a reduction in square footage related to the expansions. The Library Building Committee had discovered the Hull Building was too old to save and at the time building committee and Library Board of Trustees member Henry Griggs said the trick will be proving to SHPO that there is no financially feasible way to save that building.
The committee was expected to address SHPO concerns at a meeting on April 23, but that meeting was postponed. Prior to the meeting, the building committee started thinking about a few ideas for the building that might help please SHPO.
When the renovation project went before the Madison Planning & Zoning Commission last month, commission members asked what became of the old plan to use the original historic entrance, designed by Henry Bacon, at the front of the library again or at least put the steps back for visual reasons.
While building committee members originally said it would likely be too difficult and costly to put the stairs back in, at a recent committee meeting Griggs suggested he would at least take a look at the possibility of putting the steps back. He said restoring the original entrance would look nice and the gesture might go a long way with SHPO.
The Library Building Committee will likely discuss any SHPO concerns at its next meeting.