Wheeler seeks review of Dimond library costs
The city should know the actual cost of a new library before trying to sell it to the voters as part of the Dimond Community Center, Assembly member Marc Wheeler told the Public Works Committee on Monday.
The Assembly agreed in 2001 to include the library, after going back and forth on the issue. Library advocates contend a new facility is needed to replace the one at Mendenhall Mall, due to rental costs and space constraints.
Wheeler, the chairman of the Public Works Committee, said he does not oppose a new library. But he wants to look at the costs before offering a referendum to voters in the October 2004 election, he said. He suggested the library be part of a later phase in the project or be built elsewhere.
The Dimond Community Center, a planned recreation center near Dimond Park, is estimated to cost $32.7 million. A library alone is estimated at $7.2 million.
The city engineering department is seeking requests for proposals, due Dec. 4, city architect Catherine Fritz told the committee. Work on the recreation center would be done in phases.
The city intends the center to be funded by 1 percent of the city's 5 percent sales tax revenue, Fritz said. The city also is seeking state grant funding, she said. About $300,000 has been appropriated for the center. The city has already spent about $95,000 on a feasibility study and conceptual design, Fritz said. Another $200,000 will be spent on planning for the center.
Juneau Public Library Director Barbara Berg said the Mendenhall Mall library is smaller than the downtown location and used more because of the population base in the valley. A community center could share costs with a library, she said.
The city expects to select a consultant and complete contract negotiations by the end of January. Conceptual design options and revised cost/benefit analyses are expected to start in February and be complete by June 30. The city and consultant would educate voters about the proposal during late summer and early fall of 2004.
• Tara Sidor can be reached at tara.sidor@juneauempire.com.