Summary 4th Community Meeting

BPL Hosts 4th South End Library Community Meeting on December 4th

The 4th Community Meeting hosted by BPL and facilitated by Utile, the architectural firm charged with designing the new branch, was held virtually on December 4th and attended by more than 80 people including BPL staff, City Public Facilities Department staff, representatives from City Councilors’ offices, our South End Liaison to the Mayor’s office, team members/presenters from Utile, their landscape partner firm Arcadis, and many members of the community. 

A recording of the meeting and the presentation slides are available on the South End Library page of the BPL website found here.

 Project Schedule

After the welcomes and introduction, Brett Bentson, project lead from Utile, shared the agenda which included the schedule for the project indicating we have entered the 12-month Design Phase to be followed by the Construction Phase, typically 20-24 months. 

Claudia Porras of Utlle recapped the previous three community meetings for any attendees who are new to the project.  Slides and recordings of these can be found on the South End Branch of the BPL website mentioned above.

The Park/Landscaping

In reviewing their approach to Library Park, James Kros of Arcadis, Utile’s landscape partner, explained they plan to preserve as it is with two exceptions:  expansion of nine feet into the park toward Rutland Street and three and a half feet into the alley to accommodate a somewhat larger building footprint.  Kros shared a diagram of service truck access via the alley and indicated that these footprint expansions will not affect existing access to the alley. 

The arborists report the trees are in good condition and they want to preserve the current vegetation and continuity of materials.  Plans include expanded seating (some paving changes required by the new building footprint), the planting of a magnolia tree at the new entrance, and plantings on the alley-side in place of the current sidewalk with potted trees. There is no plan to move/change the fences. 

The park will have to be closed during construction.  To protect it during this phase, there will be chain link fenced zones to separate mechanical vs manual earthwork areas for preservation of trees, roots, and the irrigation system which is still in use.  FOSEL will need to provide them with “as built” drawings of the irrigation system.

Shadow Analysis

Presentation of a shadow analysis of the proposed building for our four annual seasons indicated there will be no meaningful increase of shadows in the neighborhood.

Floor Plans

Porras shared the preliminary floor plans noting a 40% overall increase in space distributed across various areas such as the community room, the collection/reading zones, and central services.  The entrance door will face Tremont Street, and visually communicate its presence.  Just inside there will be a ramp of two and a half feet to bring the first floor up to the required flood zone level.  An elevator will be available just inside the door to bring people to either the first or second floor, where they will be greeted by staff stationed on both floors.

A significantly enlarged community room (double the current room with 104 seating capacity) and a large children’s room will occupy the first floor with the children’s area facing Tremont Street and the community room backed up to the wall adjacent to the alley.  Community members asked that attention be paid to balancing safety/security of the children with the desire to allow visibility in and out of the library through windows facing the street.  The Community Room will have storage, a sink, and water available, but there will be no kitchen facilities in the new building.  This is disappointing to FOSEL, particularly because the branch has a long history of including food at its programs.

The teen space will be on the second floor along with the adult collection/ reading areas adjacent to a staff desk so that these spaces can be properly monitored for safety and civility.

There is a third floor that consists of space for mechanical and electrical equipment and a staff storage area for library materials.

Sustainability

The overall goal is LEED Silver which is defined as a recognition of the project's initial steps toward minimizing its environmental impact. (Silver 50-59 points. The Silver certification level indicates that a project has surpassed the basic LEED requirements, achieving more than 50% of the available points.) 

Specific goals mentioned include all electric (no fossil fuels), roof-ready for solar panels which will be installed after final construction, highly insulated structure, triple-glazed windows, and storm water capture to underground chambers for preserving wood piling foundations in the neighborhood.  Demand Ventilation based on room occupancy will be used for spaces within the building to ensure efficient use of HVAC.

Q & A

What about a food pantry?  Some branch locations have this capacity, it was not yet clear if SEL would have this.

Art display is important and there will be walls and picture rails that will allow for this.  Rotating art exhibits are desirable.

Natural light is crucial and there will be lots of visual connections to the park, as well as from the outside to enable people to see what’s going on inside.  The façade on Tremont Street will have windows with natural light along the street and along the park.  The entrance will be visually evident from all angles and welcoming.

The SE History Collection will be housed in the adult area and easily accessible to patrons. Currently it has been moved to Central where Paul Wright can meet with Melissa Andrews, Collections Director, to help assess what’s there and how it might be made available in the new building.  The hope is for local authors and history materials to be “front and center” at the branch.

What about a Library of Things?  Central and other branches are incorporating this concept.  Foley mentioned telescopes and sewing machines as examples and suggested community members access the link on the branch web page to offer suggestions/ideas for what might be included in this exciting concept. https://www.bpl.org/library-of-things/

Utile explained in more detail how the bathrooms will be set up.  Both floors will have all-gender bathrooms which include two fully private, accessible ADA rooms plus individual private toilet rooms, and communal sinks.  In the children’s area there will be a family bathroom accessed within that space.

There will be additional community meetings as the design progresses, although no specific target dates were identified.

Last Night Pat Loomis & Friends’ rocked the South End Neighborhood!

In the tradition of Boston jazz, last night’s concert in South End Library Park was a musical tribute to a jazz great, Herbie Hancock who played in Boston many times at various venues including Symphony Hall in 2015.

Pat Loomis & Friends played Hancock jazz standards Cantaloupe Island, Dolphin Dance, Maiden Voyage and Chameleon.  “In the flow,” the band performed with enthusiasm and passion.

Kids were dancing, some people were eating, others were accompanied by their dogs, and all were rockin’ to amazing sounds. 

Our next concerts are on August 28 and September 11 at 6:30pm, weather permitting.  Seats are first-come, first-served or bring your own.  It’s a wonderful time -- to connect with your neighbors, enjoy a summer evening, and hear wonderful music. 

3rd Community Meeting

Click the image to watch a video of the meeting including the discussion after the presentation.

Click here to see a slideshow of the presentation for in depth study and please leave comments at https://www.bpl.org/south-end-project/

Summary of Third Community Meeting by FOSEL Founder Marleen Nienhuis

Lively SE branch planning hearing focused on balancing strong support for 3-rd story option with cost & timing restraints; a kitchen facility; branch's visual connections to street and park

The June 12  community meeting of the "programming phase" for the new South End branch brought some 75 people to the discussion about what size the building should be to accommodate the programming options South End residents had requested in hearings held earlier this year.
Among the options: adding a third floor.
The hour-and-a-half (friendly enough) skirmish over size, cost, timing and programming between Boston Public Library president David Leonard and Utile Architects' Brett Bentson on one hand, and passionate library users accompanied by some of their elected representatives on the other, illuminated the concern that by the time the new library's doors open, around 2027, the $30 million construction project will be inadequate for the library needs of the South End's growing population.
"Libraries are not just built for now but for the future," commented Bob Barney, chair of the Claremont Neighborhood Association. Compared to library square footage as it relates to population in other neighborhoods, Barney added, "we are really low."
The current plan is for a two-story, 16,000 sq ft new building on the same site as the now-closed library, one that jots out into the park by 9 feet, but preserves all the trees. It will also slice off 3.5 ft from the private alley between library and abutters' homes on W Newton Street. By locating mechanical equipment and library storage on a "partial" third floor, however, additional programming space was opened up on the lower two floors, as per the lego-like massing diagram above. 

Utile principal Brett Bentson's presentation highlighted exciting new features proposed for the branch, including multiple large windows overlooking Library Park, back alley and Tremont Street from all floors; one large community room and four smaller-sized ones; almost a dozen separate restrooms for children, teens, adults and families; dedicated teen, adult and children's areas and a "grand staircase" to the second floor. Bentson emphasized the importance of keeping specific programming and collections on one floor instead of splitting them up over several. David Leonard added he had encouraged Utile to use as much glass and transparency as possible.

From the proposed park-side entry, a ramp and elevator would take visitors from the street up to the lobby. Bentson explained that risk from flooding due to storm and sea level rise has made it necessary to raise the first floor above existing street grade by some 30 inches.
   Concepts like sustainability and even a green roof would be considered in the one-year design phase that starts in September, as well as issues such as the actual location of all the programs within the building, which audience members suggested could be moved elsewhere. Suggested changes were a Tremont street-side entrance rather than one on the park's side; siting the large community room next to the park; and placing the children's area where they can make noise not but not disturb other visitors, perhaps on a higher floor. 

Countering persistent public comments by participants, including two local architects, that a third floor is needed because 16,000 sq ft is inadequate for the South End's estimated 38,000 residents, BPL president David Leonard insisted there would be enough space to accommodate all the programming requested on the proposed two floors, including dedicated spaces for seniors, Latino/Latina and the Chinese communities, as well as kitchen infrastructure for nutritional programming. and storage space.

Calling the proposed 16,000 sq ft project within the "sweet spot" of the 12,000 to 16,000 sq ft sized buildings popular for new libraries "across the country," Leonard described the South End branch's proposed square-footage increase "the largest by point of comparison" to all new branches elsewhere in Boston.

However, as Steve Fox, chair of the Rutland Square Association pointed out, most of the new branches cited in that comparison were in neighborhoods with two or more libraries serving populations of comparable magnitude to South End's, like Jamaica Plain, Dorchester and Brighton. The South End would have only one library for its 38,000 people. A general rule of thumb is to have minimally 20,000 sq ft in libraries serving 25,000 people or more, numbers that are already reflected in space allocations of existing libraries in Boston neighborhoods.

The limited square footage proposed for the two-story South End branch also appears to circumscribe how many computers will be available: only 19, divided among adults, teens and children. It's a small number in light of the high computer usage at the now-closed 7,000 sq ft South End branch. In the first quarter of 2019, for example, with 20,632 visitors, the library had 738 wireless and 2,845 computer sessions.

In comparison, Jamaica Plain's two branches offer public usage of 23 computers to 37,000 residents. The 21,000 sq ft Mattapan branch, serving 36,800 residents, has 32 computers. The 27,300 sq ft Roxbury library has 39 computers. The Roxbury population, moreover, is served by not just the Roxbury but also the Eggleston and Parker Hill branches. They have a total of 63 computers available to its almost 60,000 residents.
(The image below, of what Brett Bentson called "the chicklets," shows all the components that will have to go into the new library building, locations to be determined in the design phase coming up next.) 

President Leonard reminded the audience that the library's construction was on an "accelerated pace" and that a budget of more than the $30 million that has been approved "would have to go beyond a whole different level of review," especially in a time of "escalating construction cost."
   He compared the South End branch's construction budget to the one for the 15,000 sq ft Fields Corner branch. That library, however, is in a neighborhood of  20,000 people, when the South End branch's reach is for 38,000 residents.
    Architect Ken Kruckemeyer suggested that a taller building with a smaller footprint might have the same price tag as a two-story building with a larger one, as a result of lower costs for the perimeter's foundation construction. He also cited the importance of visual/auditory connections for visitors when viewing a building from within an atrium, and the opportunity that offers to quickly understand where what can be found using those visual/auditory prompts.

State rep. John Moran was one of the last speakers to comment. He described how, as a relatively new representative, he had become aware of how everywhere in his culturally rich and diverse district culinary programs created a sense of community.

"I like to dream of a scenario where we do have a kitchen," he said. If money stood in the way of building "a really good community library," he added, "let me try from the State perspective to get you the money."

"It's just an ask," he said.

2nd Community Meeting

Our second community meeting for the development of a new South End Library took place on February 12 at 6:30 pm virtually.

Meeting Highlights

Brett Bentson from Utile started off the meeting and introduced his team including the Spanish and Chinese translators. Then David Leonard, BPL President, introduced library staff and welcomed the elected officials and neighbors. He stated that the project is on an accelerated path and we are currently in the middle of the Feasibility Phase. To understand the bullets below please access the slides at https://www.bpl.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/02/2024-02-12_South-End-Library-Community-Meeting-2.pdf

• Our library location is in the flood plain and therefore requires a building that is 3 ft above the current floor level.

• While there were slides on the neighborhood characteristics, we did not discuss planning for future branch library needs/size, such as population increase/decrease or demographic changes.

• The program items include space for the local history collection.  Many of the ideas from the first community meeting were included in the feedback and the proposed building program, but they do not include a café or cooking area. 

• Three test fits were presented -– these are not designs but rather concepts for accommodating the square footage that the library program, as presented, requires.  All three involved increasing the square footage to over 15,000. 

• Only one allows for our park to remain with minimal change to the tree canopy. This was the 2-story new construction option.

• A third floor is not being considered by BPL, primarily due to staff constraints for monitoring activity in the space and concern about increased costs.

• The height requirement of the South End Landmark Commission is a minimum of 30 ft and can be higher.  Most of the buildings surrounding the current building are higher.

• An elevator would appear to be required in any of the options. 

• Now is the time for input as BPL and Utile hope to have a decision on the key direction for the new building by the next community meeting in the March/April time frame.  

Our Subsequent Written Request to BPL/Utile

In the presentation, Utile stated “It is important to test many different options during the feasibility study phase as a form of due diligence.”  Given this statement I would like to request a test fit for 3 stories to accomplish the following:

• Eliminate the using 8 ft from the alley which is already a tight space for servicing the library and residents using the alley.  

• Add a program element allowing for a kitchen/café multi-use space; this aligns with our community history of events and celebrations with food.

• Build the structure so that it can be increased upward beyond 3 stories, since we want this building to serve us into a 50+ year future.

Interim/Intentional Library Services

The significant length of the unplanned branch closure makes it very important to have enhanced interim library services.  Regarding interim/intentional space, in a recent FOSEL board meeting we heard from head librarian, Christina Jones, that BPL apparently cannot pay a nonprofit for rental space.  This presents a problem in saying an immediate “yes” to USES’ space at their Rutland Square children’s art center.  Presumably another funding source could handle the payment, but that is not yet clear.  

Any location for interim services will not have a library collection.  Book drop-off may be possible, however, until the above space/payment issue is worked out, we won’t know about this. 

Christina and Margaret are working on Storytime and Little Groove musical programming for kids which can be held in the park until the weather gets too cold. Christina is planning on initiating a monthly adult book group in September which could meet at FOMU; other ideas are in-process, and we will communicate them as they solidify.  Of course, FOSEL will support these activities with publicity materials and communications.

Christina’s learned that the BPL bike mobiles are not available:  one is out of commission and the other is located at another branch. 

 A virtual 8-week GrubStreet personal narrative program is starting on 7/20; it will run until 9/14 on Thursdays from 5pm – 7pm.  Registration is currently full, however, there is a waitlist.  Click here and scroll to 7/20 for more info.

Architectural Firm Selection/Public Facilities Commission Approval

Our City Project Manager, Rohn (Jay) MacNulty, presented the South End Library project with Utile as the selected architectural firm to the Public Facilities Commission on July 19th at 10am in a public meeting.  The PFC approved $679,129 for a programming study and initial design work.  Once the contracts are written and signed, there will be a 12-week feasibility study to assess the building and provide input into whether the building could be transformed into a new library to meet the community’s needs or whether a new building will be necessary.  Within a few days, a recording of the meeting should be available on the Public Facilities Department’s website.

The City Hall process of contracting will take 1-2 months, so we hope the feasibility work and early design phases will begin in mid-September or sooner.  

Community Engagement Process 

The Community Engagement Process would involve community meetings during the Programming Study and Design Phases, likely several meetings in each, that would involve the architects, BPL staff, Public Facilities staff, and all community members interested in attending. 

In addition to these architect-led meetings, BPL staff plan to reach out to engage with the community, perhaps with specific groups, like Seniors, Youth, etc.  The Interim Library Survey that FOSEL presented in early 2023 and a FOSEL report called Introducing our Community updated January 2023 will be provided to the architects.

Early in their work the architects will develop a project timeline which will be published on the BPL website on the South End Branch pages.  We will also publish it on the FOSEL website, and it will be available from the South End Community Forum via links and through other social media.