After reviewing how different capital projects impact the debt service tax levy, the Carroll City Council was tasked last night (Monday) with providing direction on near-term projects they wanted to see moving forward. Top on the list of the roughly three-year timespan was the expansion of the Carroll Public Library and the moving of city offices to the North Adams Street building donated by Commercial Savings Bank. City Manager, Mike Pogge-Weaver told council members, city staff has worked to develop savings on the proposed $7.6 million projects, bringing it down to roughly $7 million. OPN Architects has been asked to assist with finding more areas of savings, but Pogge-Weaver said the council must provide direction before that can happen.
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Council member, Carolyn Seimann, was adamant in her requests to hold a second workshop with OPN Architecture to be able to ask more questions about cost savings, even though they have told the council there isn’t much they can do until a decision is made to move forward. She asked the other members if they were willing to just throw in the towel and settle for that cost estimate.
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Misty Boes said that first of all, this is not a $7 million library. This is really two separate projects and the cost per square foot is not out of line. Clay Haley agreed, saying they will not be asking the public to pay $7 million for the library, especially after donations and other funding sources are factored into the equation.
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Pogge-Weaver explained that OPN needs six to eight weeks to prepare the more detailed elevations and numbers. This would bring them back in May and the council would need to have a decision made about going to an August referendum by June 12. LaVern Dirkx said, the way he understood it, there was NOT plenty of time to keep researching this project. He asked Seimann what she proposed they do if they wait, call for another workshop and are told they can’t do anything below $7 million without more direction from the council. And Mayor, Dr. Eric Jensen, said he didn’t think the second meeting now would be fruitful.
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Council members agreed that the second meeting would make more sense once OPN has a chance to develop more detail into both projects. Representatives from the Library Board of Trustees and from the Library Foundation stressed they have never said they wanted to hit a specific amount on the total construction dollars for the library. They have instead said they believe a scaled-down version of option A with at least 18,000 square feet would be required to be able to meet the community needs. They also cautioned the council on creating a proposal for a library that is not attractive to donors as they work to raise $2.5 million. They said it is about finding the “Goldilocks’ zone,” where a project is inspiring enough to get donations but conservative enough to clear the 60 percent favorable vote needed for a referendum to pass. The council approved the OPN proposal for floor plans of the city hall and library and an exterior rendering of the library at a cost of $18,500 with five votes in favor. Seimann voted against the resolution.