| 3/18/2009 10:28:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Fort hires architect for library
By James Debilzen
Union staff writer
A Milwaukee architectural firm will design the remodeling and expansion of the Dwight Foster Public Library in Fort Atkinson.
Meeting in regular session Tuesday night, the Fort Atkinson City Council approved a contract with Uihlein Wilson Architects of Milwaukee and authorized the signature of the contract by the proper officials.
"This has been a several month-long process between myself, the library board, (library director) Connie Meyer and the architect coming up with a contract everybody can agree on," City Manager John Wilmet said.
After seven years of planning, the Dwight Foster Public Library received council permission Sept. 16 to move forward with a proposed $5.5 million remodeling and expansion project.
The council's approval authorized library staff to begin fundraising efforts to raise 55 percent, or $3 million, of the total pricetag for remodeling the existing 21,000 square feet of space and adding 12,000 square feet of new space.
Wilmet said fees for the architectural contract will cost about 6 percent of the total price for the library expansion, or $340,569. The city manager noted that the figure usually runs around 7 percent for similar projects.
"We have agreed on the employees from Uihlein Wilson that will be working on our project and we're comfortable with moving forward at this point," Wilmet added.
He also noted the contract is structured in a way that would allow the city to halt the project if the staff felt it was needed.
"We wrote this in such a way to stop the process as we go along if we feel the fundraising is not going well," Wilmet said.
So far, the fundraising appears to be off to a good start. In recent months, the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation approved a $1.5 million "challenge grant" that makes up for half of the fundraising needed.
To receive the grant, the remaining $1.5 million will need to be raised from new private donations by July 1, 2010. The money can be raised in the form of cash, stocks or valid pledges.
When all the contingencies are met, the foundation's $1.5 million will be disbursed in equal installments scheduled for payment on July 1 in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The balance of $2.5 million, or 45 percent of the project, will be covered by city long-term bonds. Any funds raised above the $3 million goal will be used to offset the amount borrowed through the city.
Councilman Mark Zastrow asked if the city were to put a stop to the project at some point, who would retain ownership of the plans and documents already created. Wilmet replied that they would become the city's property.
Built in 1916, the downtown library has undergone two additions, in 1931 and 1983. In the latter, architects at the time drew up a long-range plan that said the facility would outgrow the added space in 20 years.
Today, the library is in need of more room to store its computers, CDs, videotapes and DVDs, items that the library did not own in the early 1980s.
At the Sept. 16, 2008, council meeting, Wilmet said he fully supported the Library Board's request to move forward with the project, authorizing the beginning of the fundraising period and pledging future financial support for both debt service and operational costs.
Wilmet noted at the time that the expansion would have a two-fold operational expense impact, including adding up to two half-time employees with limited benefits for an additional $37,000 to $57,000 and higher utility costs with the 12,000 additional square feet.
The city manager said that Uihlein Wilson Architects is working on incorporating many energy-saving devices in the design and the goal is the savings will offset the energy costs for a larger facility.
With the city having to borrow $2.5 million to cover the costs not raised through the fundraising, the principal and interest on the long-term debt for 20 years would be approximately $175,000 per year. That amounts to 20 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation, translating into $40 per year for the owner of a home assessed at $200,000.
In comparison, Meyer said previously that $31 is about the equivalent of the cost of one new hard-cover book for the library.
Historically, the city has used the formula of 55 percent from fundraising and 45 percent from city borrowing to finance library expansions.
During a presentation before the council in September, Meyer said space in the current facility is at a premium and that the library's collection is capped at its current 84,000 items. The state's guidelines show that for a community the size of Fort Atkinson, the collection should number approximately 91,777.
Among other problems, available seating in the library is about half of what the state recommends and some aisles and areas do not meet accessibility requirements set in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Crowded work spaces are limiting the staff's ability to work efficiently, Meyer said. For example, the staff lounge area has been converted into a crowded staff workroom and employees have used nearly every square inch of their work space.
Fundraising is expected to last approximately one year with the hope, Meyer said, that construction can begin in 2010.
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