Photos: Framingham Library Ramp Under Construction; Pearl Street Entrance Closed

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FRAMINGHAM – The Pearl Street entrance to the Framingham Public Library is closed until further notice.

Construction began yesterday, April 14, on the Pearl Street entrance and ramp.

The ramp is being re-designed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.

In 2017, as part of the Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Improvement Plan, Framingham Town Meeting voted to appropriate $715,000 for the design and construction of the Pearl Street Entrance to the Main Framingham Library at 49 Lexington Street.

The City received an additional $250,000 in grant funding for ADA accessibility, but one of the requirements is that it needed to be expended by June 30, 2022.

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The City of Framingham had designs created for the ADA ramp and the entrance to the Library, but the former Spicer administration delayed construction of the project due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A bid was issued in 2022 for construction, and the lowest bid was $1,187,000.

The pandemic has resulted in significant inflation in construction costs.

That bid was substantially higher than what was budgeted in the Spring of 2017, leaving the City with a $282,000 shortfall.

City Council in March of this year, approved an additional $300,000 for the project, allowing for $18,000 in contingency.

With the City Council approving the fund, the project could begin construction.

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