March 3, 2006 Minutes
Members present: Linda Coates, Helen Levitt, Herb Snyder, Pat Zavoral, Charles Pace, Michael Sebille, John Cosgriff
Others Present: Richard Moorhead and Marcia Pulczinski of Image Group, City of Fargo staff, public, and media
I. Minutes
Helen Levitt moved to approve the minutes of February 3, 2006. Michael Sebille seconded the motion; the motion carried.
II. South branch schematic
The north branch bids will be opened 11:30am March 8. A follow up meeting will be held Thursday to prepare a recommendation for City Commission approval Monday, March 13.
The L-shaped diagram from the last meeting was used to start the schematic design process for the south branch. Two diagrams were presented with different use of floor space. From both of the options presented, meeting room space and toilets can be accessed when the library is closed. Within two weeks the next draft will be ready.
III. Downtown temporary location/transition plan
The former Straus store building is an option for the main library transitional location. It has 13,000 square feet per three floors. An engineer’s study of the building came back inconclusive as to the load weight the floors could handle. The construction codes at the time the building was built lead them to believe it would be 75 pounds per square foot live load capacity, about half of what a library would require. To accommodate, the shelving could be set further apart or some shelves would be left empty. A city parking lot is located across 1st Avenue North. The building is wired for computers as it was the former location of a computer based technology company. One handicapped parking space is in front of the building. The range of transitional services would be from a 3,000 to 4,000 square foot store front space to total replication of services. This space would allow for most services to be replicated. Staffing efficiencies need to be analyzed with the timeline of other facilities opening. The next step would be a detail program outlining what services and workspace would go where. A formal proposal has not yet been received.
IV. Revised construction estimates
Construction costs are increasing from recent world events. The revised preliminary budget is $325,990 for the north branch, $3,517,721 for the south branch, and $11,451,980 for the main library, for a total budget of $15,295,691.
Some savings may be applied by reusing some existing equipment and furnishings. The furnishings, moving, and relocation expenses may have some flexibility.
The north branch budget is based on comparative Southpointe figures which includes toilets and air handling added to the previous budget. The south branch budget increased due to rising costs from when the budget was originally made. The Park District will participate in landscaping, the library assumes the cost for the parking lot.
Depending on the scenario we may have to raise an additional $1 to $2 million above the sales tax and capital campaign estimates in order to meet these construction estimates. The components of size and quality make the budget. If the project would reduce in size or quality, the budget could be reduced.
Sales tax for January was up 38% and February was up 22%. An estimated $12.5 to $13 million will be generated for the library project. The feasibility study recognized a range of $1.25 to $2.25 million in potential donations from a capital campaign.
More budget control can be obtained by building one facility at a time. Other projects had to be redesigned to smaller buildings because of bids coming in over budget. It is a volatile bidding climate. Asian markets have a larger impact on inflation even than hurricane Katrina. The budget will be revisited at each phase of the project with an option to adjust. With a construction cost bottom line target, the architects will design accordingly.
Helen Levitt moved the architects go forward with the target construction cost of $8,464,696 for the main library as presented without architecture and engineering fees. Charles Pace seconded the motion. With John Cosgriff, Pat Zavoral, and Michael Sebille voting no and Charles Pace, Herb Snyder, Helen Levitt, and Linda Coates voting yes; the motion carried.
Linda Coates noted that this is at the edge of the committee’s comfort level.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be Friday, April 7, at 9:00 a.m. in the City Commission room. A public forum will be held Thursday, April 20 with a committee meeting Friday, April 21. The meeting was adjourned.