Minutes
Library Construction Committee
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Town Hall
Present from the Library Construction Committee: Kelly Collins, Brent Gates, Joel Lindsay, Roland Ochsenbein, John Rodenhiser, Chris Rogers, Mickie Simpson.
Present from Lerner Ladds + Bartels: R. Drayton Fair, Nathan Langlais, Aimee G. Lombardo.
Present from Daedalus Projects, Inc: John Christiansen.
Also present: Margot Brody, Ann Hurd, Cia Ochsenbein
Absent: Pam Czekanski, Bill Strapko, Joel Lindsay
Meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m.
Minutes from Feburary 7, 2008 were approved (motion: Mickie; second, John R.; Unanimous in favor).
Bills totaling $24,821.30 were approved (motion: John R.; Second: Mickie; Unanimous in favor). Invoices were as follows:
· Daedalus Projects, Inc.: #2896080117, $5,000
· Lerner Ladds + Bartels: #03-0722, $18,515.86
· McClure Engineering: #113, $1,305.44
Roland announced that he’d like to have Daedalus (DPI) map the previous budget and the current budget, in order to see how funds move around. He would also like to discuss the decision-making process around moving the library. He suggested that a committee member serve as budget liaison. Mickie volunteered to do this.
Drayton and Aimee presented their latest ideas for the building. The architects left the last meeting charged with cutting square footage in order to stay on budget. John Rodenhiser requested that all drawings show lot lines; Drayton assured him that this is indeed the case.
The architects showed floor plans that eliminate 1,500 square feet from the previous drawings:
· First floor plan: similar to the previous iteration, but with these changes: there is now a book drop slot under the loggia; one bay was taken from the nonfiction section, resulting in less room for reference, no room for A.V. on this floor, and the elimination of the Assistant Director’s office (a partition may be used to separate this desk from the general work room). The fire pump room has been relocated to a new basement area under the addition. Ductwork will take up part of one of the quiet study rooms, reducing it to 31SF.
· Second floor plan: the desk in the Children’s area has been moved closer to the entry and separated from the Children’s office; one restroom has been eliminated; YA furniture has been moved out from the wall.
· New basement: Recent soil testing suggests few water issues in the basement area. In order to eliminate the mechanical mezzanine and lower the building height, the mechanicals are now in a partial basement under the addition. The architects learned that such a basement would not be considered,for code purposes, a third story. They are still investigating having two means of egress from the basement
Kelly questioned the area reserved for A.V. (125 square feet), noting that it’s far less than the building program requires. Several committee members suggested alternatives for shelving this material, including interfiling recorded and conventional books. Kelly said this is not standard practice and suggested that the parenting collection (shown in the drawings but not in the building program) might be eliminated, but her preference is to keep A.V. on the ground floor. Drayton will investigate lining several walls with A.V. displays. All agreed that movies, recorded books, and music don’t have to be kept together as a single A.V. collection, but can be divided and located accordingly.
Kelly asked Drayton if the location of the photocopier indicates a resolution of the question of venting the copier. (Anne Larsen recently presented evidence that it must be vented for air quality; the architect and engineers understand that modern copiers and printers need not be vented.) Drayton said this hasn’t been resolved, and that he is trying to keep the copier near the staff area for maintenance (change, supplies, etc.).
Other items shown, with comments:
· Building Section: first floor ceiling height is 10’. The floor to floor height is 13’, which Drayton noted is the minimum. The eave height is 9’, which is very tight considering the need to allow for sprinklers, lights, etc. and leave room for ceiling treatment (coved, cathedral, etc.). The first floor to the top of the building is shown at 32’, or about 8’ above the 1903 building, which is still outside the local bylaw.
· North Elevation: the entry may be “announced” by a stone pavilion. The architects noted their attempt to vary the roof height per committee instructions.
· South Elevation: shows extended stucco, and a play of scale in stone and stucco. The 1903 building has no water table while the addition does. The architects will try to match the stone to the original, though this may not be affordable.
· Parking Lot View and Evening View: showed the colonnade as large sheets of glass between columns, very open to views of the 1903 building. The columns might be wood, or wood over steel.
· Alternate elevations showed shingles and different detailing on the second floor. The architects noted that stone and stucco have a more “civic” feel, while shingles seem more “residential.”
John Rodenhiser was concerned about these views of handicapped parking and the slope to the door. Drayton explained that all of this will be up to code, and that the drawings are still works in progress.
The architects presented samples of exterior materials including the following:
· Arriscraft “Citadel,” which they used at Watertown. Drayton noted that it lays out similar to brick, even though the stones appear of varying sizes.
· Old Virginia Brick, which the architects suggested in earth tones rather than red tones.
· Cushwa, a Williamsburg-type brick
Ann Hurd wondered about the possibility of reducing costs by using fewer and less expensive materials on the back of the building (which few people will see) and more, costlier materials on the sides and front. Drayton indicated his willingness to explore this as well as drawing up construction documents with a number of alternatives.
John Rodenhiser asked about the advisability of the 1903 basement being accessible only by the narrow spiral staircase, saying that in the case of large, bulky items this could be a significant problem. Drayton said that a bulkhead could be added if the building inspector insists on it, or if the committee wishes to do so.
Drayton asked the Committee for direction on several points, and an end to schematic design. Roland suggested setting up a meeting for next week (Thursday, February 28) so that committee members missing tonight might attend, and to give everyone more time to peruse tonight’s drawings. Those present tonight favor stone over brick. There was no consensus on stucco and shingles, but several asked the architects to render stucco darker in the next round of drawings.
Roland asked the committee to vote on the building height. Brent motioned to approve the height as presented on February 21, 2008 (that is, 32’ from the first floor). Second: Roland; unanimous in favor.
Our next meetings will be on February 28, March 6, and March 20.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kelly Collins
Director of the Library
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