Library construction wrapping up

One month later, 5253 Design Group Chris Cottongim gave the first progress report, and the board approved Pay Application #1. At Tuesday’s board meeting, 20 months and 20 pay applications later, Cottongim advised the library will officially “take possession” of the building on June 5.

Library staff will then have 25 days to set up the new facility, and they will likely need every day. One of the most cumbersome tasks will be moving the adult books into the newly renovated portion of the building.

 When they were moved out of the original building, special jacks were used to relocate entire shelving units at once without disturbing the books. Moving the books back is more complicated because the old stacks are being replaced. Staff will assemble the new stacks and manually move all of the books over.

 During the construction update, Cottongim said the drywall contractor completed the job faster than expected and painting is well underway.

 Cottongim provided an update on the project budget. The original contract included a contingency fund of $398,482, which is based on the industry standard of five percent of total contract. As of Tuesday, $265,637 of the contingency fund has been spent.

 “We’ve done very well on unforeseen conditions or just changes,” Cottongim said. “As the industry goes, by definition, we are doing very well. You are under the industry standard, and you have over $100,000 left.”

 The board approved Pay Application #21 to Bill Adams Construction in the amount of $197,394.36 and two change orders. Change Order #34 for direct purchase orders deducted $29,004.67 from the contract. 

Change Order #35 added $39,940 to the contract to cover extra work necessary to address unforeseen conditions discovered while renovating the original building. Cottongim noted the $265,637 spent from the contingency fund includes Change Order #35.

 One item that was not included in the original contract was restoring the portion of an adjacent property that was used to make the construction entrance to the site on Olive Street. CCPL Executive Director Mignon Rutledge advised that Project Manager John Hale spoke with property owner John Fuqua and put together an estimate for $12,882.

 Per the Real Estate Purchase Contract trustees entered with the property owners, the library is responsible for removing all construction debris, which would include removing the gravel used to reinforce the driveway, leveling the yard to remove any ruts and repair the driveway; however, the estimate includes removing the asphalt instead of repairing it. 

After much discussion, the board approved the estimate as it was ultimately determined that, due to the deteriorated state of the asphalt after nearly two years of heavy use, it will be more cost effective to remove the driveway completely than to repair it.

 In other business, the board approved the policies presented at last month’s meeting, and Rutledge provided trustees with another set of revised policies, which they will review over the next month and discuss during the June meeting.

 At the end of April, CCPL’s total cash holdings equaled $4,413,851. That includes $162,869 in the construction account, $203,700 in the emergency contingency fund, a little more than $2 million remains in the building fund and $1,777,743 in the money market account. Beyond the Bricks, a fundraising campaign to purchase upgraded furnishings and fixtures for the library, has raised $14,334.

 The next board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13, at the library.