As the Carroll City Council and the Carroll Library Board of Trustees and Foundation move forward with developing plans for the expansion of the library and the moving of city offices to the Commercial Savings Bank building on North Adams Street, there has been an increase in dialogue about the proposed plans, cost estimates and funding options. City Manager, Mike Pogge-Weaver says he is pleased this door has been opened.
In December, OPN Architects, Inc. and the council worked together to identify preferred options. Two options, one of expanding the library in the existing space, and another scenario of plans and costs for moving the library to the Commercial Savings Bank building were developed. Pogge-Weaver says the first floor of that building is about 2,000 square feet smaller than the current library with a renovation cost of just that space coming in at between $1.96 and $2 million. To meet programming space needs, some sort of expansion would be necessary.
This cost does not address the land that would be eliminated and the cost of acquisition to build parking with an expansion. This scenario has, so far, not yet incorporated costs associated with the accessibility and deferred maintenance issues at the 1975 Farner Government Building either.
The true cost between the alternative plan of moving the library and the preferred plan of expanding into the existing space is only $100,000. The city has also worked with PFM Financial Advisors, LLC to develop a variety of scenarios showing how identified projects will impact the current tax levy of $1.28 over different bonding lengths. Pogge-Weaver says he believes the council’s goal is to keep the tax levy flat.
The numbers in this project may also seem high when compared to current construction costs as the industry standard five percent inflationary rate has been applied for each additional year it is believed it will take to do the project. Pogge-Weaver reminds residents also that they will be entering into this project with a good amount of equity through a commitment by the Carroll Library Foundation of raising $2.5 million and Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) money.
In the spirit of transparency, council members and Pogge-Weaver ask everyone to review all of the applicable documents at the link included below. He says you can also contact him or any of the council members with questions or concerns. He adds more information will be forthcoming from the city in upcoming months about the progress of the projects as they work towards deciding if this will be put out to a bond referendum in August. The full interview with Pogge-Weaver is also included below.
________________________________________
Pogge-Weaver Interview Questions:
Pogge-Weaver is pleased with the open dialogue:
Pogge-Weaver provides details on the two preferred options that were selected by the city council:
What would be the size and the cost to put the library in the existing space at Commercial Savings Bank?
What would happen to the parking if an expansion was done at the North Adams Street location?
What would be the option for adding parking at that site?
What would be the cost identified by OPN for adding on to the Commercial Savings Bank Building and keeping city offices at City Hall?
What will likely be the impact on operational costs with the proposed changes?
What impact will both the expansion of the library and the moving of city offices have on the current $1.28 tax levy?
How does this project funding fit in with that of other proposed city projects?
Since this project will not be completed in this year, what has been done with cost estimating to ensure it is reflective of the likelihood of inflated construction costs?
If there is no library expansion, what will need to be done to the current building?
What type of partnerships are being developed for funding of these projects and how much equity has been provided or is estimated?
How can people gain access to the OPN Architect documents for review?
Who can people contact with questions and concerns?
