Construction Begins!
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A groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site of the future library on Maple Avenue was held on Friday, May 1st to memorialize the start of the Library's next chapter.
The start of this project marked a year and half since the voters of the district approved the issuance of construction bonds in November 2024. The building design process was led by Product Architecture + Design and the construction phase is being managed by SMC Construction Services.
As of the second week of June, site grading has been completed and hundreds of trucks' worth of dirt have been removed, with more yet to be hauled away. The excavation crew is now starting to dig for the new building's footings. At the same time, they are testing the soil around the site to ensure it is adequate to build on. Next week we anticipate the footings will start to be poured. By the end of June we expect to be framing and pouring the new building's foundation.
We did encounter something unexpected on June 3rd: discovery of a previously unknown underground storage tank (UST) on the northeastern section of the property, which is presumed to have been part of a long-ago decommissioned heating system for the building that occupied the site originally.
In order to properly remove this tank and ensure the ground around it was not contaminated, we are engaging with an environmental company to coordinate the excavation of the UST, evaluate it, test the soil, remediate the soil if needed, and then document the proper removal process with the appropriate authorities. This work could take up to two weeks to complete. While this is taking place, construction crews will continue to prepare for the foundation throughout the rest of the site.
Alongside our work at the site of the future library on Maple Avenue, the Village of Roselle has begun work replacing the water main on Howard Avenue. The Village has more details about their ongoing water main and sanitary sewer projects here: https://www.roselle.il.us/570/Water-Main-Replacement-Program
The project is expected to be completed by Fall of 2027.
For more details about the project, visit the Construction Project page and our FAQ page.