Minutes of the Meeting of the Special Library Committee
Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by Scot Simpson at 7:05 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Roll Call

Members Present: Kevin Koester, Mark Bartels , Kathy Addison, Mayor Wehrle

Members Absent: Kathy Kolb, Stuart Harper, Ted Anderson

Staff Present: Scot Simpson, Alan Tollefson

Also Present: LaVon Hall, Lancaster Historical Society; Greg Strobush, Library Board; Charles Lange, Grant County Historical Society; Kim Leamy, Jaycees; Marty Busch, Community Band; Kyle Vesperman; David Timmerman, Herald-Independent

Minutes

Following introductions, the minutes of the May 30 meeting were approved as mailed. Motion by Bartels, second by Wehrle. Carried unanimously.

Follow-Up/Next Steps

Scot Simpson reported that a letter had gone out to each of the groups involved in the project with proposed contributions from each for the next two steps in the process: pre-funding design by an architect and a fund raising feasibility study (total budget: $45,000). Written confirmation has been received from the Chamber, Historical Society, and Library. All are on board at the amounts proposed. Discussions are still in progress with the community band which is slated for storage space in the new facility. The City Council has provided seed money in the amount of $5,000. “Checks are in the mail.”

Scot indicated that previous discussions have suggested a mix of funding: some public, some private, some grants. The project will be able to move forward faster with private funding. Because of the City's debt load, the earliest public contribution might be 2010 or later. It is not certain whether this would involve a referendum or funding through the capital improvement program with City Council approval.

The group needs to decide how we select the architect and the fund raising consultant. Kathy Addison noted that the Library Board has received several profiles from architects interested in the project. She said the Board wants to be sure the architect selected has experience in designing libraries. She said the Board visited several newer libraries and took notice that some were designed better than others.

Dave Timmerman said he has covered a number of public building projects and suggested the group find out the architect's track record for staying within budget. He said he has seen numerous overruns. He also cautioned that some architects will want to make a statement in their design rather than retain compatibility with the current building. Kathy Addison agreed and said this was a large concern for the Library Board also.

There was discussion of who should choose the architect and how the selection should be made. It was noted that the Library Board is in the process of finalizing a detailed program statement and other groups have provided descriptions of their needs as well. An RFP (request for proposals) will need to be developed so that each prospective firm can be judged by the same criteria.

Scot invited input from each person present. Suggestions included:

• Each group should have one representative
• Form a smaller committee out of the existing committee
• Too many people will just extend the time
• Include potential contributors, if any are known at this point
• Be sure we get a firm that has built libraries
• We need to be sure they can tie old and new together
• We should travel to see buildings the prospective firms have done

Scot indicated that there would be at least two potential fund raising consultants from the area. The Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin has signaled its willingness to help in that area. They have also had inquiries from potential donors about this project.

A question was raised as to whether the whole group wanted to review all of the planning documents. The consensus seemed to be “no.”

Scot reviewed the overall design considerations from the draft of the Library Board's planning document:

• Joint use facility
• Single level floor plan
• Expandability
• Public Art
• Wireless Environment
• Storm Shelter
• Circulation control and security
• Preservation of green space
• Accessibility for all

There was discussion of the potential to build up in the next phase of expansion after this one in order to preserve green space. It was pointed out that codes sometimes change and even when you think you have prepared for a certain type of expansion, those changes can cause problems.

Before the next meeting, each group involved in the project (Library, Historical Society, Chamber, Band, City Council) was asked to provide in writing one or two names for inclusion on a subcommittee that would make decisions in regard to the details of the project, starting with the selection of an architect. The existing Special Library Committee will then select the subcommittee.

There was discussion of who will prepare the RFP for architect proposals. Scot Simpson indicated he felt he could do it, but it would take a great deal of time and, with everything on his plate right now, it might delay things. The Library Board's consultant, George Lawson, has provided this service for many libraries and previously indicated a cost of $2,900 which Scot thought was lower than he would expect. A key issue is whether Mr. Lawson's service would include contract negotiations. Alan Tollefson is to obtain a more detailed description of services Mr. Lawson would provide prior to the next meeting. Scot and Alan will also prepare a new timeline for review at that time.

Next Meeting

The next meeting was set for Tuesday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Adjourn

The meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Alan Tollefson, recorder

Library Expansion Project | Community Minutes | History of Facilities | Historical Society | Needed Assistance | Space Estimate | Process | Band Needs