The long-awaited construction of the historic Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library Mothers Wing was officially completed on October 13, 2017. Just ten months prior, on January 25, 2017, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to kick off construction of the Mother’s Wing addition to the 203-year-old Louis T. Graves Memorial Library in Kennebunkport, ME.
The $1.5 million, 3-level, 5,500 square-foot building provides twice as much space as the Perkins House, which was torn down in December due to poor conditions. A public fundraising campaign was used to pay for the addition, of which the Bush family was a huge supporter.
“We’ve done a couple of ‘Meet the Builder’ fundraising events with the library to help raise funds for the project. We loved being a part of the fundraising aspect, deepening relationships with our clients and truly becoming part of a community and making a difference,” said Project Superintendent at Ouellet Construction, Don Ouellet.
When asked about what Ouellet did well, Library Director Mary-Lou Boucouvalas said, “They cared about us, our library, and all of our patrons. Everyone on the Ouellet team brought something to the table each time we met and would follow up with all details whenever necessary.” Boucouvalas went on to state, “They answered our questions, assured us that they would stick to the timeline (which they did), and stayed within budget without too many change orders, as promised.”
President of Ouellet Construction, Mike Ouellet, thought the project was a great success, stating, “Our attention to detail is spot-on, and that is evident in the fact that you can’t tell the difference between the addition and the preexisting structure. The project also required blending code compliance and new construction elements, which can be very complex, but we integrated it well.”
Ouellet Construction would like to thank Harvey Wells, Architect and Aaron Wilson, PE, Vice President of Associated Design Partners Inc. of Falmouth, ME, for their dedication and assistance with this project.