DIGHTON — Town Administrator Michael Mullen, together with Library Building Committee Co-Chairmen Ken Pacheco and Ron O’Connor, wishes to share updates regarding the Dighton Public Library Project.
During the first week of January, the first phase of the restoration project for the new Dighton Public Library building, located at 207 Main St. commenced. Restoration efforts began with the exterior envelope and weatherization project. During this phase of the project, existing building shingles will be replaced with historically appropriate red cedar shingles, new insulation will be installed and exterior trim restorations and improvements will begin.
The second phase of the Dighton Public Library Building Project will involve a soon-to-be proposed funding request from the Library Building Committee to the Town of Dighton’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC), to allocate funds for interior building improvements. The Town of Dighton anticipates that the application will be submitted by early February.
It is expected that exterior restoration and improvements will continue to take place during the funding request process and that they will continue throughout the next several months.
The Town anticipates that the Dighton Public Library Project will be completed by the late winter of 2024. The anticipated date of completion is contingent on approval of CPC funding requests, additional town meeting approvals and general construction schedules.
“We are pleased to be sharing the continued efforts and progress to date,” Town Administrator Mullen said. “We appreciate the continued support of town residents as we make this long overdue project a priority.”
History of the Dighton Public Library
The original Dighton Public Library, located at 395 Main St., was a Carnegie library built in 1910 with 3,000 square feet of operational space. While the building served the town for decades, it was closed to the public due to space limitations, building safety concerns, lack of adequate egress, and handicapped accessibility issues. The Dighton Public Library is currently operating at Dighton’s Town Hall Campus, with its General Collection housed in a 12-foot by 60-foot modular trailer unit and its Youth Services Department located on the lower level of Town Hall. Both temporary locations continue to be a challenge in offering modern-day library services for Dighton residents.
To learn more about the Dighton Public Library Project, click here.
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