Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 605 CMR - BOARD OF LIBRARY COMMISSIONERS › Title 605 CMR 6.00 - Library Improvement Program - Public Library Construction › Section 6.06 - Application Procedures

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1) For each
			 application round, the Director will issue a Program Notice to all free public
			 libraries in the Commonwealth.
(2)
			 The Applicant must file a completed Letter of Intent form by the means
			 indicated and by the date and time announced in the Program Notice.
(3) If an Applicant's Letter of Intent is
			 substantially incomplete or either the project or the Applicant is not eligible
			 under
			 605 CMR
			 6.05, the Applicant will be notified in
			 writing at the earliest practicable date by the Director.
(4) Attendance at an application workshop by
			 at least one library representative and at least one municipal official with
			 responsibility for planning and/or financial decision making for capital
			 projects is required as part of the application process.
(5) Application materials will be distributed
			 at the workshops only to those municipalities that have filed a Letter of
			 Intent that meets all requirements.
(6)
Application Submittal
			 Requirements for Small, Medium, and Large Tier Projects
. The
			 following are the minimum requirements necessary for consideration for
			 acceptance into the planning and design phase for Small, Medium, and Large Tier
			 projects:
(a) Applications must be received by
			 the means indicated in the Program Notice for the grant round and by the date
			 and time listed in the Program Notice, with all required elements complete and
			 on forms prescribed by the Board. Late, incomplete, or nonconforming
			 applications will be rejected.
(b)
			 The Applicant must agree to all the assurances for the planning and design
			 phase listed in
			 605 CMR
			 6.05(2)(c).
(c) Applications for the planning and design
			 phase must include:
1. A copy of the Library
			 Building Program, including:
a. a concise
			 history of the library and the community;
b. community analysis with demographics and a
			 30 year population projection
c.
			 the library's mission, values, and service roles;
d. previous and current facility and
			 organizational planning efforts, if applicable, including strategic plan and/or
			 master plan excerpts involving facility improvement goals;
e. description of the existing
			 building;
f. analysis of current
			 collections, services, and programs;
g. pertinent trends and statistics, including
			 staffing and public use;
h. a Needs
			 Assessment
i. site and exterior
			 considerations;
j. area
			 descriptions including primary services/functions, seating capacity, collection
			 capacity, occupancy, furniture and equipment, architectural or other
			 considerations, adjacencies, and net square footages; for shared building
			 public library projects, area descriptions of any proposed shared spaces must
			 be included;
k. preliminary total
			 gross square footage figure based on all area descriptions and guidelines from
			 the publications
Library Space: A Planning Resource for Librarians and
			 Building Blocks for Planning Functional Library Space
and including at
			 least 30% allowance for unassigned space;
l. energy-related goals for the
			 library/community;
m. diversity,
			 equity, and inclusion priorities for the new building and how this program
			 addresses them;
n. special
			 circumstances for the library and/or the community not included elsewhere in
			 the building program;
o.
			 requirements for:
i. sustainability
ii. accessibility
iii. security
iv. acoustics
v. data and telecommunications
vi. lighting and electrical
vii. furniture, fixtures and
			 equipment
viii.
			 ergonomics
ix. signage;
p. evidence of community
			 engagement efforts in creating the Library Building Program;
q. photographs with descriptive captions
			 (site, building exterior, building interior) of existing facility as well as
			 potential new locations, as applicable.
2. An assessment of municipal finances, as
			 mandated in the Program Notice for the grant round.
3. If considering renovating or restoring the
			 existing library, a condition assessment of the facility prepared by a building
			 science firm, registered engineer, or registered architect retained through
			 adherence to all applicable procurement laws. Elements of the report include
			 but are not limited to:
a. site and grounds -
			 pavement, curbs, loading docks, walks, landscaping, irrigation, site drainage,
			 exterior lighting, walls, fencing/railings, signage, and exterior
			 amenities;
b. structural systems -
			 Foundations and structural framing of walls, columns, intermediate floors, and
			 roofs;
c. building envelope -
			 Roofing systems, exterior finishes, stairs and steps, exterior doors, and
			 windows;
d. interior building
			 components - Interior finishes;
e.
			 mechanical systems - Electrical, heating ventilation/ air conditioning,
			 plumbing and conveyance systems;
f.
			 regulatory compliance - Life safety, fire suppression systems, and general
			 visual review of property compliance to the Americans with Disabilities Act
			 (ADA).
4. A map showing
			 existing and possible future library sites that meet the criteria in
			 605 CMR 6.02:
Approved Site
.
5. For joint public library projects,
			 applications must also include:
a. the
			 combined populations served by the communities to be used in the planning
			 process;
b. an official Management
			 Plan, agreed upon by the municipalities proposing the joint public library
			 (
See
605 CMR 6.02:
Management Plan
).
6. For shared building public library
			 projects, applications must also include:
a.
			 list of other departments to be housed in the shared building and a description
			 of any overlap of services;
b.
			 estimated proportion of building's net square footage dedicated to library
			 services; c. estimated proportion of building's net square footage allocated to
			 shared space the library can utilize;
d. an official Management Plan, agreed upon
			 by the municipality and library (
see
605 CMR 6.02:
Management Plan)
.
7. Applicants may be asked to furnish
			 additional information or documentation as required by the Board.