The Island Free Library Board of Trustees met on Tuesday and continued to explore options to complete the renovations despite a severe budget shortfall.Town Finance Director Amy Land had provided the trustees with an updated budget reflecting the estimate from Efficiency Inc., the constructioncompany working on the window and siding replacement at the library. Chair Lisa Nolan summed up the situation: “There is a difference betweenthe estimate and what’s available. We need to have a discussion on how to proceed with a possible deficit of $91,696.”Library Director Kristin Baumann said that her impression, from speaking briefly to Land last Thursday, was that, “it doesn’t mean you don’t do it; itjust means you have to find money.”
To be clear, the library has some money. There is around $80,000 earmarked for the window replacement project, which is enough to buy the windows but not enough to buy all the siding or pay the labor costs.Treasurer William Feuer told the group his concern was “the necessity of ordering things now.”Lucas Silva, the contractor doing the work on the library, had spoken at the last meeting about the quickly rising costs of materials and the long delays in shipping. Silva had
