Lakeville celebrates four recent community development projects, bringing new uses and improved accessibility

LAKEVILLE — After about three years of planning and construction, Lakeville town officials celebrated the completion of four different projects in town that improve accessibility and community development.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Friday, Dec. 12, at the new wheelchair-accessible ramp at the Historic Library on Main Street. The event also recognized three other projects that were completed this year: a new pavilion at the Lakeville Public Library, a bathroom addition at the Old Town House and the newly renovated parking lot at Ted Williams Camp.

“By enhancing the infrastructure and facilities around our historic town, we're honoring our history while ensuring it continues to serve for future generations,” Select Board Chair Maureen Candito said at the ceremony.

The ramp addition to the Historic Library, at 241 Main St., was constructed with $75,000 of state funding, and makes the building — that the Office of Inspectional Services functions out of — compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act criteria.

State Senator Michael J. Rodrigues and State Rep. Norman Orrall worked with the town to bring the ramp project to fruition by setting aside state funds.

“We know that these old historic buildings are exempt [from ADA compliance], but just because they're exempt does not mean that we don't want to make them as user friendly as possible,” Rodrigues said.

Orral added that the work of the town officials on the ramp project and the other three developments has helped stretch funding to be the “maximum benefit for the townspeople.”

Over at the Lakeville Public Library at 2 Precinct St., a new wood-framed pavilion was completed over the summer. The pavilion added a space for shelter and a sound system for community music events.

“It's very well used. I think it's a great asset for the community,” Town Administrator Andrew Sukeforth said. “It's something that can be used a lot more in the future for public projects and events.”

The pavilion was constructed with about $57,000 of federal relief money from the American Rescue Plan Act. The rest of the roughly $87,000 price tag came from the Lakeville Arts Council and public library budgets.

At the Old Town House at 2 Precinct St., an accessible restroom was added to the historic building. The building previously did not have a restroom, and town officials said the addition makes the space more usable and practical for community meetings and events.

The project was completed in the fall, and was entirely funded with about $113,000 from American Rescue Plan Act funds.

“I think I'd like to use it a lot more for other stuff in the future, and I think the restroom is going to be critical to that,” Sukeforth said, noting the nearest bathrooms before the addition were across the street at the library.

Nancy LaFave, a member of the Lakeville Historical Commission, said the developments bring actionable uses to Lakeville’s historic spaces.

“If you have historic buildings, they shouldn't be museums,” Lafave said. “They should be working parts of the community, we should have ownership of them and they should be important to us … [the projects] delights us beyond comparison.” 

Ted Williams Camp — which town officials said is the most popular outdoor public recreation area — saw a complete renovation of the parking lot. The lot received drainage improvements, re-paving and an overall “facelift”, funded by a $212,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant. About 90 parking spots were also added.

“Today we celebrate not just a building project but a community that continues to grow stronger, more inclusive and more connected,” Candito said.