Both Danielle Hermann and Joe Feldmann of OPN Arichitects, Inc. (pictured above) were back in Carroll Monday night to answer City Council members’ questions on the proposed renovations of both the Commercial Savings Bank property on North Adams to house city offices and the current city hall for the Carroll Public Library expansion. There were a total of five questions presented to the architecture firm prior to the meeting, four of which dealt directly with managing or reducing costs. Hermann, who is the lead on the project, says a review of study’s previously done for the library project identified programming space needs at roughly 23,000 square feet. OPN brought that down to about 19,000 square feet, which is represented in the option selected by the council, Option A. Hermann said when it comes to saving additional costs at this phase, it really boils down to one thing.
OPN defines programming as the space needed for different segments of the libraries operation, such as adult stacks, community rooms, study rooms, maker spaces and so on. When they talk about reduction or removal of programming space, the cost savings is achieved by shrinking or removing selected areas, which in turn reduces services the library is able to provide. Sondra Rierson, who is a member of the Carroll Public Library Board of Trustees, says those spaces are what adds value to the proposed renovations.
A list of targeted areas for cost reductions at both the city hall and the Commercial Savings Bank building was drafted through a collaboration of OPN and city officials. However, Hermann put it bluntly, saying in order to reduce costs any more than that list details will require a reduction in space, which could make it difficult to bring forward a concept that appeals to both the philanthropic and voting segments of the community. The other question the council brought to OPN was what they can offer to build into this project that would appeal to the likely voters. Hermann said, though they are not experts in studying voter habits, the one thing that stood out about the Carroll Stadium referendum from past efforts is the increase in younger voter turnout.
One final concern brought up before the close of the meeting was with the timeline to move this to an August referendum. Ryan Milligan of Commercial Savings Bank was present at the meeting to say they are vested in working with the city to see this project through, but are also wanting to make sure they know whether the building will be gifted to the city or need to be put up for sale in a timely manner. City Manager, Mike Pogge-Weaver, explained that there were only two dates the state has identified left for a vote this year, August and November. Library Trustees have identified the August date as preferable to allow them to build on the momentum and success of the summer reading program and to utilize educators to assist with campaign efforts. However, council members had some trepidation about the rapid timeline as they will be tasked with a final decision on whether or not to move forward with a bond referendum in August and to set what that bond amount will be no later than June 12.
