Building Project – OLD PAGE

In August 2014, a $41,205 Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners Planning and Design Grant was awarded to Tilton Library. A required $20,600 supplement was funded by Tilton Fund, Inc.

Shortly after the award was announced, library trustees appointed a seven member Needs Assessment Ad Hoc Committee which interviewed and recommended an owner’s project manager and an architectural firm.

The firm, Johnson Roberts, Associates, Inc. of Somerville has prepared an initial design using the approved and accepted library building program.

This initial design and results of site studies were used to apply for a Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program Construction Grant Round in January 2017. At the July 13, 2017 meeting of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Deerfield project was placed on the Waiting List, with a rank of #12 of 24. for a $3,944,338 provisional grant award, which would cover 50% of the project cost as estimated in 2017.

On July 7, 2022, after close to 15 years of hard work by many people, we got the opportunity to improve and expand our beloved library to be even better, with a one-time state library construction grant of $4 million dollars! Our heartfelt thanks to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) for joining us in this new vision for an expanded Tilton Library. Thank you to all who have helped us get to this point.

December 7, 2022 Update: There was a special town meeting on Monday October 24, where the project passed by two-thirds majority. Then there was a special ballot election on December 6, where the project passed by a simple majority. Thank you, Deerfield! 

August 2023 Update: The Town of Deerfield signed a contract with the MBLC in order to accept the first of five payments of the grant and move forward with the project. The Building Committee was developed by the Trustees and appointed by the Selectboard. This committee – made up of members of various town boards and Deerfield residents – are working with the architect and project manger to make design decisions, and keep construction schedule and costs in line. They will make recommendations for the Library Trustees to approve. A REVISED SCHEMATIC DESIGN was approved (CLICK drawings above to see larger image). 

July 2024 Update: CONSTRUCTION IS HAPPENING! As a kickoff to the construction, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in May celebrate this momentous occasion. Very exciting! We will provide regular updates here as construction progresses. We are now open in our temporary location at 71 North Main Street at the former Congregational Church (enter in the back) for our normal hours. Here we will be able to provide most of what our patrons are used to: a portion of our collection and programs for all ages, as well as delivery of holds from other libraries.

October 2025 Update: PHASE 1 OF MOVING IN PLANNED FOR OCTOBER! The building is just about finished and ready to open to the public. The addition works in beautiful harmony with the original building. The landscaping is just about done, with an expanded parking lot and new patios, as well as additional trees and other plantings. The new furniture, computers, and shelving are being moved in. Brand new state of the art HVAC and internet systems are running. Each step brings us closer to providing a more spacious, up-to-date, and welcoming library for Deerfield residents.

One major issue is delaying completion of the project: the lack of an elevator. The General Contractor, in consultation with our project manager, has moved forward with a new elevator company after problems arose with the original elevator subcontractor. It has been decided by the Tilton Library Trustees for the library to only occupy and operate from the first floor in the renovated and expanded facilities, until the elevator has been installed and passes inspection. Therefore the library in this Phase One of opening would be accessible to all staff and patrons. This phase will include: a portion of the adult and teen collections, two meeting tables, two public computers, printer/copier/scanner, and three staff in the large first floor community room; three public restrooms in the lobby; a fully operational children’s room including a family restroom, gaming room, and sensory room; full access to the lobby from the front and back doors, a 27-car capacity parking lot with 2 accessible parking spots, and access to public WiFi.

We anticipate all work (minus the elevator) to be complete in early October. After that point, preparation to move into and open this new building should take an estimated 4 weeks from when the library a temporary certificate of occupancy from our town building inspector.

Once the elevator is complete (approximately 20 weeks) the library will transfer operations taking place in the first floor large community room to the long-term adult and teen designated areas on the second floor. After that transition the library will be fully operational and open at Phase Two (final phase), and fully accessible according to ADA code standards.

Thank you for your continued support and patience as we work to complete this important project. We are working to open the doors as soon as we can and we can’t wait for you to visit!