The Milton Public Library Board of Trustees has paused construction on a backup generator after residents objected to its impact on the building's historic appearance.

Library Director William Adamczyk confirmed the halt Friday, Aug. 28, telling the Milton Times that trustees are reconsidering where to place the unit. Community members said the generator's planned location would harm the historic feel of the library and surrounding area.

"Our goal is to be able to provide safety services, to provide possible emergency services, and to protect the library's infrastructure, and we'd like to do so with the least amount of detrimental impact — whether it's a visual impact, access to service, programming or anything else," Adamczyk said.

The generator was approved as a capital project at the May 2025 Town Meeting. It would be the library's first backup power system. According to a library project announcement, extended power outages over the past several years have reset or damaged lighting, HVAC systems and IT equipment. The outages also create public safety concerns, according to library officials.

Beyond protecting infrastructure, the generator was planned to let the library serve as a heating and cooling station during emergencies. Residents would have been able to charge devices and access a climate-controlled space when the rest of the town lost power.

Town departments had worked with electrical consultants and engineers to evaluate several locations on the property, weighing logistical, visual and service impacts. Some sites were ruled out for financial and feasibility reasons. The installation plan called for removing several bushes but no trees, and included a landscape architect's replanting design.

Adamczyk said the library had worked "a number of years" to get the project through Town Meeting.

No timeline has been set. As of Friday, Aug. 28, the library's website carries a brief notice confirming the pause and promising updates. The dollar amount Town Meeting appropriated for the project has not been disclosed. Until the board settles on a new location, the power-outage problems the generator was meant to solve remain unaddressed.