The Westport Library held a special ribbon cutting ceremony over the summer celebrating the completion of the Library Transformation Project. “After nearly a decade in the making, we could not be prouder to finally bring the dream of a new Westport Library to life for the community,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer.
A.P. Construction was engaged to help plan and budget the 40,000 square foot Library Transformation and have now successfully completed the $13.5 million construction project in two phases. Phase I of the project included renovations allowing the Library to temporarily operate in the lower Riverwalk Level while construction of the upper levels were underway. This phase also included a temporary children’s area, as well as new finishes and furniture. An additional element of Phase I was the “Grand Staircase” along Jessup Green that allowed patrons to walk from the Riverwalk Level to the Main Level.
Phase II included the construction of The Forum – a large, flexible, open space on the main floor used for meetings, study, and reconfigured to accommodate up to 650 people for large events. Phase II also included the expansion and renovation of the library’s store, the café with outdoor deck, new energy efficient mechanical systems, modernized restrooms, new elevator, fire pump and generator. “No other library is going to have what we’re going to have here,” said Harmer.
The three-level building now features more meeting rooms, multipurpose conference rooms, program rooms, a family lounge, two live broadcast studios, a TV studio and an enhanced MakerSpace. Additionally, floor-to-ceiling windows now exist where brick walls used to be, offering views of the Saugatuck River on all levels.
A.P. Construction’s project team overseeing the project included: Sean Hurley, Project Manager, Jake Granito, Assistant Project Manager, and Scott Marlow, Superintendent.
