How much will it cost?The total project cost is $6.2 million. The funds will come from federal and state grants, foundation grants and individual donations.
Why not just remodel the municipal building? In 1988 Minch Ritter Forrest Architects determined that the municipal building was not designed to accommodate the level of services held. They recommended building a new facility as the most cost effective solution. Nearly 20 years later the problems are much more urgent. The building can simply not accommodate the needs of the library.
Where is the money coming from to plan this project? The Foraker Group’s Predevelopment Program is funding the conceptual design of the facility and contracting with the McDowell Group to do a feasibility study. A grant from the Alaska State Library funded the analysis of anticipated operations and maintenance costs and the development of a comprehensive business plan. An FY09 appropriation from the State of Alaska is currently funding the schematic design and design development work.
Where will it be located? First & Haugen drive on the Romiad Building site. While other sites were considered the Romiad site was chosen because it is a City owned lot with great pedestrian access that is close to downtown.
How big will the new library be? We are hoping to build a facility that is approximately 9,548 square feet.The size is determined by how much we can afford, our year round population, and the size of similar Alaskan libraries such as Haines.
Can the City afford the operations & maintenance costs of another new facility? Concerns about plannning for the long term operating costs of new facilities are right on the mark. Failure to plan for these costs is one of the biggest mistakes building projects make. We have detailed information about operations and maintenances costs in our business plan which is available on request.
