Though it has a number of exterior problems, Republic’s public library building is in good enough shape to handle a renovation.
With funding deadlines looming, the Springfield-Greene County Library District moved closer to finalizing plans for expanding its Republic branch. The Board of Trustees’ building and grounds committee met March 12 at the Brentwood Schweitzer Branch in Springfield.
Officials with Paragon Architecture presented an updated assessment of the building’s condition, then presented three options for an expansion — two of which call for renovating the current building.
Existing building in good shape
Jared Younglove, technical director for Paragon Architecture, told the committee that it recommended keeping the district’s existing building intact.
“The structure is sound, and it’s good for renovation,” Younglove said.
While the building has a number of issues that are primarily cosmetic, Younglove said renovating it would be more affordable than demolishing it and replacing it with a new building. A renovation would cost about $2 million, which would be a savings of about $1.5 million over the same amount of square footage of new construction.
The Republic library, located at 921 N. Lindsay Ave., is a roughly 10,000-square-foot metal-frame building that was constructed about 15 years ago.
In his report, Younglove pointed out a number of issues on the building’s exterior related to improper water drainage, including leaky gutters or missing drains that lead to water damage. Those drainage issues also are responsible for some leaks inside. Younglove also highlighted a need for the library’s parking lot to be re-graded and resealed for better stormwater handling.
But the inside of the building is largely in good condition. He recommended upgraded fire suppression systems, plumbing and lighting as part of a renovation project.
Three options for trustees to weigh
Younglove presented three options for expanding the Republic Branch at the current site:
- Building a new, 20,000-square-foot library (A in picture) immediately north of the existing structure. Once completed, the old building would be demolished and replaced with greenspace. With demolition estimated at $120,000, the estimated base cost is $7,120,000.
- Building a 12,500-square-foot expansion (B in picture) with a north-south alignment immediately north of the building. The estimated base cost is $6,290,500, with $4,375,000 for the new construction and $1,915,000 for all interior and exterior renovations of the existing building.
- Building a 12,500-square-foot expansion (C in picture) with a jogged layout angling northeast, for a more eye-catching appearance. The estimated base cost is $6,478,500, with $4,562,500 for new construction and $1,916,000 for all interior and exterior renovations of the existing building.
Under the second and third options, the new construction would be for the library’s main material collections, while the existing space would be converted into a community room, meetings rooms and other space. The second and third options both call for a covered walkway between the existing and new buildings.
All three offer options for outdoor features that would utilize more of the library’s 5 acres of property.
The library has targeted a total budget of about $10 million for the expansion, said Interim Director Jim Schmitt. Furniture, fixtures and other equipment are estimated to add around $2 million to the total cost.
Construction manager at-risk to be chosen
Because a quorum of the entire board of trustees was present March 12, the board narrowed down a list of proposed construction managers at-risk to three finalists. Board members present at the meeting included President Rachael Morrow, Clinton Beecham, James Nevins, Robert Stephens, Melanie Weiler and David Yancey.
With a 6-0 vote, the board selected bids from Crossland Construction, Branco Enterprises and Nabholz Construction as finalists to be the construction manager at-risk for the project. One of those three firms is expected to be chosen at a meeting set for March 26.
Time a factor for ARPA funding
Younglove said that a decision on one of the three options should be made by April 14, so that a design phase can start, and run until May 18. Once designs are finalized and construction details are prepared, Younglove said they hope to start accepting construction bids in late October.
The library district has wrestled with a Republic expansion since June. It tried to work out a deal with the Republic School District for building an expansion to the west of the U.S. Highway 60 and James River Freeway, but veered away from that plan after trustees raised concerns about costs.
The full board meets on March 19 in Ash Grove for its regular meeting, and is expected to discuss choosing one of the three options. Morrow said that having one narrowed down would be helpful for the construction manager at risk that will eventually be chosen.
“To say here are three designs and we’d like budgets on each of them, and you have two weeks, that feels like a big ask,” Morrow said.
Time is also a factor for funding. At stake is $4.5 million in American Recovery Plan Act funding, which must be obligated by the end of 2024.
Naming rights awarded
The committee also approved with a 6-0 vote an offer to extend naming rights for an expanded auditorium at the Library Center, located at 4653 S. Campbell Ave.
Katie Hopkins, a planning and development librarian, announced that an agreement had been reached for $600,000 between the library and the Hatch Foundation. The exact naming remains to be determined.
The library is in the process of adding a 500-seat auditorium to the building. Like the Republic expansion, the project is partially funded with ARPA grants.
