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| Thanks to everyone who has worked to support this important community project. |
September 7th - Summer has ended and the workers at the Canton Library have been making hay. Enormous amounts of work have been done in the past several weeks. The preparation for the steel is in full swing. The steel beams are expected to arrive from Canada within the next week. In order to construct the spine of the building, the cement foundation will need to cure and strengthen. This is now a game of time and experience as the cold weather will soon be upon us. Inside the building, trenching and utility installation continues.
September 14th - We are eagerly awaiting the steel to arrive from Canada. It is expected that by the end of the month significant progress will have been made towards creating the "spine" of the building. Work continues on the foundation and shoring up the original building. A floor consultant is evaluating whether we will be able to preserve the original oak floor of the West Reading Room. Work continues on the utilities and site drainage.
September 28th - As September ends we find ourselves in a very different place than we were at the beginning of Summer. The foundation is close to 95% completed, the steel is beginning to take shape, the site work continues in earnest and work has begun on the cleaning of the original facade. The exterior utility work is well underway and the interior work is about to begin. We began this project close to the first day of Summer,and now as Fall begins the pace continues in a dizzying fashion. The sound of steel, the roar of diesel and the faces of accomplishment are everywhere on the site. Truly an amazing month.
The
new main entrance will be marked by a curved entry colonnade.
Here, workers are creating the forms for the walls of the new entrance.
The
curved wall is over 16 feet high and will provide a massive support for
the new entry. Looking like Canton's "Big Dig" the
new supporting wall for Main Entrance will have many tons of concrete
poured as it's base.
The
demolition reveals the heavy brick infill of a wall constructed in 1902.
The interior staircase has been removed.
This is the view from the outside of the building where the staircase
once stood.
The interior dome is undergoing restoration off-site.
Watch that first step...it is a doosey!!!
A
big yellow excavator sits in the middle of the new Children's Room. Talk
about show-and-tell.
In the foreground the concrete forms make up the new entrance for the
Children's Room.
The
lower Meeting Room has been trenched for new utilities service to the
new wing.
A view from the opening (right) shows the extent of construction for the
new meeting room and the children's room.
The foundation is nearly complete and backfilled along the new children's room wing.
Note
the temporary bracing in the center of the building that is supporting
the roof beams.
The new wing will be attached to the historic building at center of the
opening.
This is to become the view of the new Main Entrance to the rebuilt library.
Town
Building Committeeman Chuck Armando and Trustee Betty Chelmow assessing
the
sample refinished floor in the West Reading Room. After many years hidden
beneath carpet,
the original floor from 1902 has been discovered and may be restored as
part of this project.
The
steel has arrived from Canada and within moments of arrival crews began
to
assemble the frame of the new building. Shown above is the new Children's
Room and the
Second Floor Reference Room. This is an amazing site and moves very quickly
as the roof
trusses take the shape of our historic building. More to follow...
