Plans for the Grand Marais Library expansion are shaping up, and the county board gave the library board the go-ahead to keep the project moving forward. On Tuesday, February 8, 2011, Library Director Linda Chappell and architect John Geissler of DSGW architects of Duluth presented to the county commissioners the design plans that have been made so far.
Discussions on expanding the library have been taking place since 2004, Chappell said. Previous architects recommended a 10,000-square-foot facility, but the board has scaled plans back to a building of about 7,000 feet. The current design includes a 2,767-square-foot addition, a 64% increase in the space they have now.
The new design calls for handicapped parking on the property and increased bathroom space to accommodate building codes. The staff will have a break area and a bathroom as well and will have good visibility from the circulation desk. A “signature sculpture” is in the plan – something like an electric fireplace or even a commissioned sculpture, Geissler said.
The architectural firm is recommending that the entire space, both old and new sections, be heated with a gas boiler and in-floor heat, which would be cheaper than the electric heat the library has now. Commissioner Sue Hakes suggested that they find out what the payback period would be on upgrading to a cheaper form of heating.
The group working on the plans wants the addition to feel like a front porch, Geissler said, and they want the seating area to have a “living room feel.” The seating area will have flat ceilings, but archways will define the space. The current dormer windows that bring in light from above will remain. The front entry will have a covered porch for people waiting outside in inclement weather. The existing library space will get a facelift with new carpet and paint.
Geissler recommended soliciting bids this spring when he thinks bids would come in lower than during other seasons. Construction could begin as early as this coming November, with completion by December 2012.
Geissler anticipated construction costs of $789,000, but other costs would need to be figured in, such as architectural fees of $52,550, a 5 percent contingency set-aside, $25,000 in electrical and technology infrastructure, $2,500 in soil sampling, $62,000 upgrading the heating and ventilation system, and other costs such as hiring extra library staff to help move things around during construction. The total cost is expected to be a bit over $1.3 million.
Commissioner Sue Hakes said she had originally heard that the expected cost of the expansion would be $700,000. With these new figures, how would they know costs wouldn’t keep going up? she asked.
Commissioner Fritz Sobanja, the county board’s liaison to the library board, said the $700,000 figure had been merely an estimate used when consultant Mike Fischer was helping the 1% Steering Committee decide what projects to fund before the referendum authorizing the tax had passed.
Commissioners discussed whether they should ask ORB Management to act as their owner’s representative or construction manager on this project. Geissler did not think the county would need an owner’s rep on a project this “small.” Commissioner Hakes thought having a “point person” would be an efficient way to handle the project. ORB is acting as the county’s rep on the new community center facility—one of the other projects to be funded with 1% sales and use tax revenue— and the county is considering hiring ORB to be its construction manager on the other projects authorized for funding with the 1% tax. County Auditor- Treasurer Braidy Powers said the 1% revenue is coming in faster than expected.
DSGW would have a contract with the county, and a construction company would have another contract with the county, but the architectural firm would oversee the project through to the end, Geissler said. His firm would not be onsite every day, but the construction company would be responsible to its contract, and DSGW would review and sign off on monthly vouchers submitted by the contractor. DSGW would also hold final payment to the construction firm until all work was done satisfactorily.
Commissioner Fritz Sobanja said he thought the project was small enough that the county would not need a construction manager or owner’s rep. A local contracting company would be qualified to undertake a project of this size, he said. “It’s basically a house-building job,” he said, with large beams in it. He thought a local company would work hard to do a good job because their reputation would be on the line. What would a construction manager actually do onsite for six months with a project this small? he asked.
Commissioner Bruce Martinson agreed with Commissioner Hakes that a construction manager should be hired. “It’s very important to have someone onsite,” he said.
Commissioner Hakes said she appreciated Sobanja’s comments but thought they should at least look at hiring ORB to be their construction manager. She thought is would be important to have someone “really in our corner” if it came to cost overruns, she said.
Geissler said his firm would have no problem working with a construction manager if the county hired one, but he recommended getting a dollar figure for that work, including the expense of having someone staying here from out of town.
During construction, the library could remain open, Geissler said, with construction zones cordoned off from areas being used by patrons.
The board unanimously passed a motion authorizing the library board to proceed in seeking bids based on the design and budget that were presented at the meeting.
The city and the county both help fund the library, and the current building and grounds are owned by the city.
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