Lyme - After much planning and anticipation, construction to expand and redesign Town Hall and the library will begin Tuesday.

But before contractors break ground, residents will vote at a special town meeting Monday on whether to raise the project's spending cap from $4.7 million to $5.08 million. The public spending limit will remain at $3.7 million, according to the agenda.

Residents had approved $4.7 million for the renovation and expansion project in spring 2012 but stipulated that $1 million of that total must come from grants or donations.

Taxpayers shouldn't see an increase in taxes for the additional money needed to cover the project, which has come in over bid, according to a Town Campus Center Building Committee news release. The Lyme Public Library board of directors and the Lyme Public Library Inc., which handles its fundraising, has offered to fund the $380,000 difference from its endowment, the release stated.

The renovation plan, expected to take about a year or 18 months, calls for building an expanded temperature-controlled vault and additional office space, and upgrading the building's technology. The main Town Hall building will transform into a high-ceiling meeting hall, reflecting its origins as a church.

The expanded library will hold the town's archives, which currently are located down the road at Lyme Public Hall. The library also will add meeting hall for community events. Enterprise Builders of Newington is overseeing the construction.

The building committee voted at its August meeting to reject the first round of bids, which came in $800,000 over the project's limit, and instead undertake several initiatives to garner more competitive bids. The committee decided to hold additional site walk-throughs, advertise again, make the bid document instructions easier to follow and pick "value engineering" options to reduce costs.

A second round of bidding, which closed Aug. 28, was more competitive, according to the news release, but still came in $380,000 above the limit.

While the committee pondered whether to stop the project, hope for savings along the way or begin redesigning and start the project later, a new option surfaced.

"Rescue came from the Lyme Public Library Board of Directors and their financial partner, Lyme Public Library, Inc.," the release stated. "They agreed to offer up $380,000 from the library's endowment if the funds are needed to complete the project."

k.drelich@theday.com

If you go

WHAT: Special town meeting

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Monday

WHERE: Lyme Consolidated School

WHY: To vote on spending cap for renovations