The Yarmouth Library Building Committee is moving toward a critical financial milestone following news that the town has secured funding for a second independent cost estimate. Assistant Town Administrator Amy Frigulietti informed the committee during its February 5 session that the town’s finance department successfully identified the necessary funds to move forward with the dual-estimate process. Frigulietti noted, I worked with the town administrator. We were able to work with finance and come up with some funds to do [the second estimate]. This additional study is a key step in ensuring the accuracy of the project’s budget before it moves to the floor of the Annual Town Meeting.

The timeline for this financial reconciliation is now firmly established. Tim, a representative from Accentra, provided the committee with a specific roadmap for the coming weeks. We’ll be getting the second estimate back on the 27th, he said, referring to the end of February. We already have a meeting scheduled on March 3rd with both estimators to reconcile everything. A day or two after that, we’ll have a finalized reconciled estimate that we can use. This timeline ensures that the committee will have verified figures in hand before a scheduled presentation to the Finance Committee on March 11.

The meeting proceeded without a formal quorum, meaning no official votes were taken on contracts or minutes. Vice Chair Tom Pendleton opened the session by acknowledging the attendance challenges. This is the Library Building Committee meeting of February 5th, 2026. At this point, we lack a quorum. However, we will continue to meet and have discussion but will not make any decisions at this point, Pendleton said. Despite the procedural limitations, the group pushed forward with administrative updates, including the ongoing work with bond counsel to finalize the language for the library warrant article.

Technical refinements are also underway for the project’s digital presence. Frigulietti and the town’s communications team have been scrubbing the project website to improve performance. Pendleton shared that some images were temporarily removed because their file sizes were slowing down the page, though smaller versions are being re-uploaded. Frigulietti encouraged the committee to provide direct feedback on the site’s content, stating, It would be great if the committee could provide any feedback on the website. If there’s any feedback they’re getting from events and they want us to include it on the website, we’re happy to do that.

Accessibility concerns were also highlighted following a recent consultation with the Commission on Disabilities. According to a project summary, the commission requested that the committee explore the inclusion of additional accessible parking spaces beyond the current site plan. Furthermore, the commission recommended the installation of touch-free mechanical door openers. Pendleton noted that the committee would need to consider these suggestions as part of the final design phase, specifically mentioning that the commission encouraged us to consider touch-free operations.

Community outreach efforts are ramping up, though the committee faces a pending vacancy. Member Joseph Labrecque reported that West Congregational Church is prepared to assist with outreach, noting, On Monday, I did speak to the person who is an active member of the church and she said they were happy to post whatever we wanted to post or leave the stack of flyers. However, Labrecque also announced his intention to step down from the committee, leaving a gap in staffing for the Newcomers Club event on March 18. I was supposed to be there, but since I’m going to resign, Labrecque said, prompting Pendleton to confirm that the committee would need to find two new volunteers to man the outreach table.

Simultaneously, the committee is seeking public assistance for a new promotional video designed to explain the project to voters. Member John Grieco updated the group on the video’s progress, emphasizing the need for local residents to participate on camera to make the presentation more engaging. We are still looking for possible participants, Grieco said. If there are any public people interested in being on the video, that would be greatly appreciated. I think our key is going to be getting people on the video as well as video of certain issues so we can put it into motion as opposed to just a still.