Date: Fri 03-Oct-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Booth-Library-project

Full Text:

Library Opening Drifts Back Toward Thanksgiving

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Who's going to help cut the ribbon at the grand re-opening of the Cyrenius

Booth Library?

Of course, Library Director Janet Woycik will be on hand, along with her

staff, but who will be there from the first selectman's office? Will it be Bob

Cascella, Russ Melita or Herb Rosenthal?

Last spring, Mr Cascella was sharpening his scissors for a ribbon-cutting

ceremony in June or July, but with the library project still not complete, the

event continues to be put off - first to August, then September, October after

that, and now November.

The first selectman's last day in office is November 26 (the day before

Thanksgiving), which should be enough time for Mrs Woycik to have the library

ready for opening, but that's only if the new building and the renovated

existing building receive their much-anticipated certificate of occupancy (CO)

from the town's building department sometime in the near future.

Building Technologies, Inc, of Prospect, the project's general contractor, was

reportedly going to make another attempt for a CO late this week, but it will

be a miracle if it gets it, according to Public Building and Site Committee

Chairman Frank Krasnickas. "I heard this morning that they were hoping to get

the CO by Friday, but I doubt they'll get it," he said Wednesday. "I told

Janet she'd be lucky to open up by Thanksgiving."

The hold-ups, according to Mr Krasnickas, are "a lot of little things,"

including the installation of exterior emergency lights and carpet repairs.

There have also been delays in landscape work.

Once the CO permit is issued, three to four weeks worth of "punch-list" items,

including furniture installation, will need to be completed before library

staff members can begin re-shelving books. It will take an additional three

weeks before the library doors can swing open for business.

Meanwhile, Mrs Woycik and her staff remain at Shelton House on the campus of

Fairfield Hills, cleaning and preparing books for their eventual move back to

Main Street. But there's no heat available, and it's starting to get cold.

After waiting this long, though, Mrs Woycik said she is no longer concerned

about when the new building opens. She just wants it to be problem-free.

If that turns out to be the case, Thanksgiving may be the most appropriate

time for the long-awaited opening.