Building Committee Responsibilities, as laid out by the MA Board of Library Commissioners
1. Representation
- Clinton has a Permanent Building Committee (PBC), but we need a library construction advisory subcommittee
- Local officials and community leaders should be represented
- The members must represent all facets of the community
- Members with construction, design, and project management are represented on the PBC, but those with public relations and communications experience will be helpful
2. The skills
- Committee members must represent the best interests of the community
- They must be connected and respected in all facets of local life
- They must be or become knowledgeable about public libraries and their vital role in society
- They must work cooperatively and be problem solvers
- They must have good communication skills and be willing to stay in close touch when necessary
- They must have time, flexibility and willingness to devote to meetings and committee tasks
There’s no magic number for how many people should serve on the committee, but it’s good to remember that it’s a working committee, not a talking committee. A lot of work is involved.
The committee needs to work together as a team.
Each team member should:
- Know the project objectives
- Be aware of their responsibilities within the team
- Understand the limit or range of these responsibilities
- Understand the commitment required e.g. time, meetings, visits
- Have clear expectations of their role
The committee does the legwork that makes it possible for them to make informed recommendations to the PBC. The Permanent Building Committee has the legal authority to make legal decisions regarding the project, with support from the Trustees and Advisory Committee. Committee members will work with the library director to conduct the following:
- Visit as many recently-built libraries as possible in order to educate themselves on library trends and innovations
- Review the needs assessment data and discuss how the information will affect major aspects of the project
Planning and Design Activities
- Issue the RFP/RFQ for the Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) and supervise the bidding process (DONE!)
- Work with the OPM to issue the RFQ for the architect and supervise the bidding process (DONE!)
- Review & interview architect proposals finalists (May 27)
- Permanent Building Committee selects architect
- Work with PBC, which negotiates fees with the architect and executes the contract (May)
- Focus groups, resident feedback, etc. – managed by OPM with input
- Assist the architect in narrowing down the sites to analyze (June)
- Oversee schematic design process to the MPLCP Level of Design
- When completed, present the MPLCP Level of Design to the trustees for approval (Nov/Dec)
If this sounds like something you’re interested in, please join us! Reach out to the director or attend the meeting on May 27th to see what the architects are proposing.
