Facilities Planning 2015December 2014 through December 2015 - Building Committee holds 31 Meetings Pre-Construction
The Building Committee, selected by the Walter E. Olson Memorial Board of Trustees, (WEOML) first met on December 22, 2014 in the Library Conference room. The committee consisted of Steve Perry, chair, representing the joint library municipalities, Jill Kunes, Jone Davis, Mary Platner and Laurie Stoegbauer, all representing the Board of Trustees, Nan Andrews, WEOLM Director, Norma Jaeger, WEOML volunteer & Library Foundation, and two community members, Jim Holperin and John Biggs. The committee began by reviewing the proposed new library building plan which included the 2007 and 2010 Facility Analysis, Space Program Requirements and Conceptual Design, Cost Estimate and Schematic Design by the Durrant Company for a totally new library estimated to cost $3.2 million. Fund raising to reach an initial goal of $2.5 million began in the winter of 2010 and continued through 2011 into the summer of 2012. In the fall of 2012, the 85 year-old Durrant Group unexpectedly ceased operations, closed its doors and resumed ownership of their schematic design. Fortunately, local businessman Jeff Visner, owner of Design/Build by Jeff Visner, took an interest in the future of the library. He spent considerable time inspecting the original library and felt that it could be renovated and expanded into a new facility that exceeded the previous designs. At his own expense, he created a new design which was faithful to the original architecture, satisfied the proposed space needs, used the existing building structure and eliminated the flat roof of the original design. The new design was endorsed by the Library Foundation, the Campaign Cabinet, and the Library Trustees and Visner was encouraged to submit a contract. That first Building Committee meeting held on December 22, 2014, brought the new committee up-to-date, assigned committee responsibilities, reviewed the proposed Architectural Design/Construction Manager contracts with Visner as well as reviewing potential Interior Design contracts. The committee was brought up to date with a review of 2007 and 2010 Facility Analysis, Space Program Requirements and the previous cost estimates. The committee reviewed the 2013 Tawani Grant requirements and the 2013 Conceptual Design byVisner. Also discussed were the logistics and cost of moving the library services to a new location during construction. There was also a letter from Artarama regarding a donation of $10,000 towards arts related items for the future library. The first Committee assignment was for the members to spend their Christmas Holiday reading! The committee was sent home with instructions to study the “Wisconsin Building Project Handbook” and the 53 page “Owner’s Program Requirements – Working Draft on the Renovation & Expansion Project”. The Building Committee met weekly in January, 2015 and then proceeded to have 30 more meetings in 2015 to insure that every detail of construction, both interior and exterior was studied and analyzed for both practicality and enhancement. Almost all meeting were two to three hours long! Mid-year, Biggs and Holperin resigned due to other commitments and Board of Trustee members Joe Eisele and Walt Camp joined the committee along with Bernie Hupperts representing the community. The daunting task of meeting minutes were shared by Jone Davis and Norma Yaeger. In March 2015, the Board of Trustees contracted with Visner as both the Designer and Construction Manager of the remodeling and expansion project. Building Committee Assignments The majority of the 30 Building Committee meetings were held at the Visner Design/Build Conference Room at 509 E. Wall Street, which had multiple amenities such as computer generated graphics, copying, samples of everything from cabinets & carpeting to lighting and wood. In addition there was always fresh coffee! Below is a short alphabetical list of the selections that had to be made and assigned costs. The guidance provided by Jeff Visner and his staff and the collective knowledge of the Committee was invaluable in making those decisions. Appliances Built-ins Cabinets Concrete/Spancrete Drywall/ Interior/Exterior Finishing Elevator/stairs/railings Fire Suppression/sprinkler system Flooring Gas fireplace Gutters/Downspouts Hardware Heating/cooling Insulation Lighting Masonry/Metals Permits/Fees Plumbing Rough Carpentry Siding/Roofing Trims/surfaces Utilities Ventilation Windows/doors/hardware Waste management Water & Sewer This list greatly simplifies the building committee additional decisions on the requirements of the audio system, the video system, wiring system, control system, displays, shading, and electronic safety & security systems that have to be selected and installed. It also does not include the outdoor requirements such as site preparation, excavation, dewatering, driveway asphalt, curbs, gutters, patios, walkways, library landscaping, neighboring property landscaping, fence, storm water management, drop box, other site requirements. October - PRE-BID MEETING In anticipation of the completion of the construction documents the Construction Manager, Jeffrey Visner, of Design/Build by Visner held a pre-bid advertisement meeting on October 8 regarding construction of the remodeling and expansion of the Walter E. Olson Memorial Library (WEOML). Visner provided orientation to the contracting community on the Construction Management bidding process, presented the library project design, provided a tour of the existing building, and answered contractor questions about the project or the bidding process. October - RELOCATION OF LIBRARY DURING CONSTRUCTION PROJECT The Building Committee heaved a sigh of relief when Ministry Health Care volunteered the use of its previous Medical Arts Building located just adjacent to the Eagle River Hospital parking lot for the duration of the building project. This gift greatly simplified the construction schedule. The Town of Lincoln also volunteered to provide storage for the books and furniture not being moved to the Ministry site. The WEOM Library closed at 203 N. Main St. for one week (Oct 5-10) and moved to temporary quarters at 120 E. Hospital Road (Ministry Annex) when it reopened on October 13th. This remarkable achievement went smoothly due to the planning and execution that Director Nan Andrews and her staff and volunteers provided to move the stacks, books and the majority of the libraries equipment to the new location. October - BID PLANS PUBLISHED Please use these links to access and download the 2015 Bid Plans and Addendum #1, Addendum #2, Addendum #3, Addendum #4 and Addendum #5 for our remodeling and expansion project. November - BID OPENING Cancelled due to withdrawal of Bid Opening. December - PRE-CONSTRUCTION TASKS Winterization, relocation of Utilities, Asbestos Removeal, De-Watering tasks completed. |