Library Expansion Gets Design Review Board's Okay
Library Expansion Gets Design Review Board's Okay
Town, Cleftstone, and Cottage Street Changes Also Approved
BAR HARBOR—The addition at the Jesup Memorial Library moved one step closer to actualization thanks to an approval from the town’s Design Review Board, Thursday afternoon. The project still needs other approvals from the town before it can begin.
Simons Architects has designed the addition to the library, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1991. The addition is a 11,400-square-foot building that doubles the size (approximately) of the existing library. It creates multiple new entrances as well and changes the façade of the building’s Mount Desert and School Street sides.
In a memo to Code Enforcement Officer Angela Chamberlain the architects write, “The lower level of the addition is especially community oriented with a new multi-purpose meeting room designed to seat up to 150 people and a Maker Space classroom. The main level will house the relocated and expanded children and teen collections, with a story time area and noise/quiet study rooms and directly adjacent restrooms.”
Design Review Board member Mike Rogers recused himself for the review because he is on the design team for the library.
“This project has been on the board in planning for eight years now,” Millard Dority told board members. Dority also expressed excitement over the addition. He is the Bar Harbor Planning Board chair but was not speaking in that capacity at the meeting, but as part of the library’s team.
The library has raised more than $13.9 million to create the addition.
The library’s website says that
“Input collected through numerous public planning sessions will be central to our final design, particularly its youth spaces, archives, technology, and sustainability. The expanded library will offer urgently needed improvements including:
• accessible, step-free access to all areas of the library
• bright and sunlit children’s and young adult spaces
• conference & event rooms
• environmentally-friendly mechanical systems
• climate controlled archives for historic and special collections
• quiet rooms for private and group study, remote working, video calls, and tutoring.”
Recently appointed board member Erin Cough asked where the transformer would be on the School Street side. There will be vegetation covering it.
The library was approved after a presentation and short discussion about lighting and other details. Cough moved that they approve the application as presented. It passed unanimously with Cough saying that it was a “phenomenal job.”
“Will it be done next week?” Cole joked.
“Will it be done next week?” Dority repeated. “No.”
OTHER APPLICATIONS
The Design Review Board made quick work of multiple completeness reviews during the remainder of its meeting.
59 Cottage Street
Robert Rechholtz apologized to the board, saying that he had been told that he didn’t need to get approval because the awning is the same, but the lettering is different for a new business at his building. The committee unanimously approved the changes at 59 Cottage Street and found them appropriate.
Cleftstone Inn
Chris Ruck, a property manager for Cleftstone Inn at 92 Eden Street, came to update the board and get a new sign on a stone (gray granite) mounting to blend in more with the building and area. The lights beneath the sign are pointing upwards and the light shines toward the sky, which means Ruck needs to be under 1800 lumens for the lights. The committee members then began to convert lumens to watts. It was approved.
Higgins Pit Solar Array
Public Works Director Bethany Leavitt wanted to put up a sign at the entrance to the site because many people in town don’t realize where the solar array at Higgins Pit will be and she’s fielding a lot of questions about its location. The sign would be temporary. The sign is essentially a 4-by-8 piece of plywood on a couple of posts. It was approved. Though the sign is at the entrance to the site, the town is still working on access issues to the site, which was discussed at the Town Council meeting earlier this week.
Jackson Lab
The board approved signs for Jackson Lab’s 600 Main Street campus with a lighting modification. Signs would direct people to the lab’s daycare, the Island of Imagination and parking. Eric Sturm represented the lab. Kate Macko recused herself from the discussion and for the decision. She did not state the reason, but she works at the Jackson Laboratory.
OTHER BUSINESS.
The board quickly discussed potential changes to Appendix A in the town’s land use ordinance and the location language. Town Planning Director Michele Gagnon said that the board and planning staff would hold workshops in September with the stakeholders. They’ve identified about 21 stakeholders so far who might be impacted by changes to Appendix A, which is a list of historic properties that is part of the town’s land use ordinance. Voters approve any changes every year. Planner Cali Martinez has worked on the draft order related to the appendix, but she is currently on vacation and was not at the meeting.
Chair Barbara Sassaman asked about the design review overlay district changes proposal. She wanted to know when the wording for that would be ready for the Town Council. Gagnon said that it needed to be ready by November to go on the June ballot. The board could shoot for presenting to the Planning Board for October because they also have to see the potential changes to the Design Review Board’s purview. Sassaman also asked for a new code book, saying hers was from 2005.
“It’s been months (since it was asked for) and I’d still like one,” she said.
Two other members said they’d like copies. Pancho Cole said he was fine with the online version.
Sassaman also asked if anyone could come in to the town’s planning office and look at drawings and check for consistency between design drawings that come to the board and the working drawings and check for inconsistencies. Chamberlain said they could.
“We don’t know whether the working drawings look like the design drawings at all,” Sassaman said. “I was thinking I would come and look and see—”
“Consistency,” Cole interjected.
“Typically what they are approved for are the same plans,” Chamberlain said.
Sassaman said that if staff was doing it, then that would be alright.
Rogers asked about sign location oversight. They have the authority to ensure the signs are five feet back from right-of-ways, but don’t have purview over the DOT right-of-way.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
https://www.barharbormaine.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07132023-3242
https://www.townhallstreams.com/stream.php?location_id=37&id=54007