Library building committee will present designs to City Council

Waltham Public Library Director Kelly Linehan and the Library Building Committee will present floor plans for the upcoming Waltham Public Library renovation to City Council’s Monday Committee of the Whole meeting this week.

Linehan told the Waltham Times that although the committee may still change specific details like shelf arrangement, the square footage and overall layout of the plans it will present to the City Council are finalized.

The plans shared in the City Council docket outline the addition of about 31,000 square feet — an increase equivalent to over two-thirds of the building’s current 45,000 square feet. They show a significant expansion of the children’s section on the ground floor, reconfigured and expanded second- and third-floor study spaces, a large public meeting room and new bathrooms.

Linehan said that because the committee’s City Council appearance was initially delayed, it has had to push back the timeline for public review. Originally, it planned to hold a public meeting about the library’s redesign in early December; now, she says the library may not host the review until the new year, but she says patrons will have an opportunity soon to weigh in on the designs.

As the Library Building Committee goes through the process to present its plans to City Council and to the public, it will also continue the application process for its Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program grant by sending in its updated plans for independent review.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners approved a $100,000 MPLCP design grant for the WPL in January 2025. If Waltham’s designs pass the current state-level review phase, the MBLC will recommend it for a construction grant.