MERIDEN — Officials now expect the Meriden Public Library to reopen at its temporary location at the Meriden Mall by mid-March.

The library is set to undergo a $13 million expansion and renovation. Library officials previously said they hoped to reopen the mall by Feb. 1, but acknowledged at the time that several variables could affect the schedule.

One of those moving parts is the vacant space in the mall where the library will be relocated so it can continue to provide in-person services during the renovation. The library will now move into the mall’s second-floor space that once housed the Old Navy retail store.

Previously, officials had planned to move the library to the former New York & Company store on the first floor of the mall. But the Old Navy space, which recently became available, is larger and will require fewer revisions in order to meet building code requirements for public-use buildings, such as a library.

Old Navy moves to Town Line Plaza.

The other plans have not changed. The library’s collections will still be stored in various locations around the city, including the libraries at Platt and Maloney High School and Edison Middle School, as well as the old Silver Museum building at 41 W. Main St. This building was acquired last year by the Meriden Historical Society, and officials hope to operate it as a satellite library in the near future.

The move officially began on January 10 – the day library officials announced the closure of the Miller Street building to in-person patrons.

Officials said that during the move, the library would continue to offer limited curbside service to patrons who had previously placed items on hold for pickup and that its staff members would be available to answer questions from the public by phone. , email and social media. The library bookmobile would also be available to transport books and services to different locations in the city.

Clevell Roseboro II, the director of library services, in a written statement Tuesday, described the move to the mall as a partnership that leaders hope will help “attract more customers to mall businesses as well.” .

He continued, “Hopefully we will be transitioning in about 45 days or so. Patrons can check the library website for updates and I plan to give a virtual town hall meeting in March to give an update on library service.

As of Tuesday, preparations for restarting services were still underway, according to Thomas Welsh, a member of the library’s board of trustees who also chairs the library’s building committee.

Welsh said work is continuing and should be completed in the coming weeks.

Officials are planning a site visit to the soon-to-be-renovated mall on Feb. 26, before opening the facility to the public.

Other preparations include packing and moving library materials and shelving to separate facilities in the city. Facilities include Board of Education space in the 31,000 square foot building at 998 N. Colony Road, which the city acquired last year for use as a warehouse by the Board of Education.

Welsh told the Record-Journal that the library’s historical collection will soon be transferred to the Meriden Historical Society, with leaders reaching an agreement over the temporary arrangement.

During a remote library board meeting on Friday, board members and Roseboro discussed some of the logistics related to the project — including the planned demolition of the former two-family home. at 33 Catlin St. to accommodate the expansion. The city acquired the property last October.

Welsh explained that the library received an extension for handing over the Miller Street building to its contractor, Montagno Construction.

“We got an extension from the general contractor because it took a little longer to pack the books and get the shelves out,” Welsh said.

Delays, lost services

On Wednesday, staff were still removing items from shelves, putting them in boxes and labeling the boxes for cataloging.

Library board chair Joan Edgerly described the move as a difficult undertaking. It was plagued with delays that the library board had not anticipated.

Edgerly acknowledged that the loss of certain services, such as the use of public library computers, is frustrating for library patrons who rely on them. She also praised the efforts of library staff, who she said have been under “a lot of pressure lately. I appreciate that they put up with all of this.

“It seems like it took a long time,” Edgerly said, adding that she thought of three words throughout this process: patience, compromise and transparency. “I try to focus on patience now,” she said.

Mayor Kevin Scarpati also acknowledged the frustration the delayed reopening can cause.

Scarpati said that when the city council voted on the mall lease, city leaders “were led to believe there would be a faster transition.”

Scarpati said he wasn’t thrilled the move had already taken so long. “However, I believe Old Navy’s location will better meet our needs and allow us to serve more people.

“And it will also fill a largely vacant space in an area that I think needs foot traffic,” he said. “It’s a win-win overall.”

[email protected]:@MikeGagneRJ