SHELBURNE FALLS — With construction of the new wheelchair lift at the Arms Library now finished and the structure having passed a subsequent state inspection, those who experience mobility difficulties are now able to travel easily between the two floors.
According to Shelburne Town Administrator Terry Narkewicz, construction finished in early July before the wheelchair lift passed inspection on July 27. Though the original projected cost was $130,900, the total installation cost was $118,000, after the contract was awarded to Diversified Construction Services LLC, the project’s sole bidder.
Funding for the project came through votes at Annual Town Meeting and from the Shelburne Community Preservation Committee. Arms Library Director Laurie Wheeler said this money has been appropriated two years in a row, and that any lingering costs would be covered by the Pratt Memorial Library Building Committee.
The new wheelchair lift was activated during the first week of August by Garaventa Lift, and according to Wheeler, a lot of patrons have been using the new piece of equipment.
“It’s gorgeous in there, and I think people will be more comfortable,” Wheeler said. “It’s really exciting, people have missed it. … People like it much better than the old one.”
Wheeler said the previous wheelchair lift was installed in the library around 25 years ago, and she didn’t want people getting stuck while trying to move between floors. A few people had been stuck between floors in the years preceding the new equipment’s installation.
This new wheelchair lift is called a Garaventa Genesis, which is described on Garaventa Lift’s website as a “vertical platform lift” that can hold individual wheelchairs, up to two people and 750 pounds. A sign at the Arms Library says similarly, stating that the wheelchair lift can hold “one disabled person and one attendant.”
The library had previously used a LULA (Limited Use/Limited Application) elevator, which acted as both a standard-use elevator and an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant elevator. The Garaventa Genesis’ purpose is to act as an enclosed lift for those in a wheelchair, though it can be used as a standard elevator as well.
Wheeler said the new equipment has generated a lot of interest from people who are coming to the library, as even if they don’t need to use the lift to navigate between the building’s two floors, they are checking out the exterior and interior of the wheelchair lift, which Wheeler describes as “functional and beautiful.”
Because the Arms Library is housed within the Pratt Memorial Library building, which is registered as a historic property, the installation of the new lift followed the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties. The guidelines lay out the standards for what the project should encompass, regarding preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and reconstruction. According to the National Park Service website, these guidelines are advisory, not regulatory.
