Instead of voting to approve the redevelopment of the Central Madison Public Library, the members of the Central Library Disposal Surplus Property Criteria and Selection Committee listened to a third proposal to reconstruct the library Wednesday night.
Presented by planning firm Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc., the new proposal would allow for the library to remain partially open during construction as opposed to moving the library to a temporary site or a new location altogether.
A previous design by T. Wall Properties called for the library to take up an interim residence during the redevelopment, and the design presented by Fiore Companies and Irgens Development Group proposed the library move to corner of West Washington Avenue and Henry Street.
The HGA proposal comes after several members of the board said they were concerned the library would lose customers during the construction.
HGA Senior Associate David Lang said renovating the current library would save both money and customers.
“We want to renovate because the building already has a strong structure,” Lang said. “It is greener to renovate an existing building than to build a new one.”
Offering three different options of reconstruction, HGA Associate Vice President Jane Dedering said the most expensive of their options would cost $13,943,594. The T. Wall proposal cost was estimated at $35,593,961, and the Fiore-Irgens proposal came in at $39,274,000.
The significantly lower cost of the new proposal could play a major role in the committee’s selection of a library design after the committee listened to the Madison Public Library Foundation’s fundraising feasibility report. Richard Chandler, a representative of the foundation, said there were several factors deterring a strong fundraiser, including the struggling economy, lack of a “concrete plan” and little publicity to keep the public informed.
“It is ambitious, but reasonable that [the foundation] could raise up to $10 million once the economy stabilizes,” Chandler said. “But (we) would need significant lead donors … and it would be over a four- to five-year timetable.”
According to Lang, the most expensive option of HGA’s proposal called for a “rooftop library” — a ceiling built out of recycled aluminum to make use of the current library structure. Along with the added space, HGA would renovate the inside to make “efficient use of space.”
Lang said the remodeled library would partner with the neighboring Overture Center to form a “hub in the community.”
“With a little bit of a makeover, you could make [the library] into a modern building that competes with ones around it,” Lang said. “But it also should work as a companion with the Overture Center.”
Another option proposed by HGA would recreate the entrance of the library into an atrium. With thin windows and a redesigned entrance, Dedering said they could create a more modern building to be more energy efficient.
A third option presented by HGA only proposed to redesign the inside of the library, but committee members voted against it at the end of the meeting.
