Press Release

3 October 2002

 

COMMUNITY INVITED TO MEET DESIGN CONSULTANTS BEING CONSIDERED FOR NORTHGATE LIBRARY/PARKS PROJECT

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A consultant selection advisory committee has recommended that ARC Architects, Hewitt Architects in conjunction with Johnston Architects, The Miller/Hull Partnership and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership remain in consideration for the job of providing site planning and design services for a community center, library and park in Northgate.

Committee members evaluated the qualifications of nine firms before selecting the Seattle-based finalists to interview and introduce to the public. A total of 17 firms applied for the job.

The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Parks and Recreation are jointly sponsoring a public reception for the finalists at 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 16 at Olympic View Elementary School, 504 N.E. 95th St., auditorium/cafeteria. The consultants will display examples of their work and be available to answer questions. Community members are invited to drop in anytime during the event and fill out a comment form. For more information, call Tim Motzer, Parks project manager, at (206) 684-7060, or David Kunselman, Library project manager, at (206) 386-4096.

The consultant selection advisory committee will interview teams from the firms and make a recommendation to The Seattle Public Library board of trustees and Park Superintendent Ken Bounds. During the week of Oct. 21, the Library Board and Bounds are expected to select a design consultant. The Library Board meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library, 2021 Ninth Ave.

The project includes building a 10,000-square-foot library, a 20,000-square-foot community center and a 1.67-acre park on the former Bon Tire Center site at Fifth Avenue Northeast and Northeast 105th Street and the commercial site a block north. Two commercial buildings on the property will be demolished. The Library and Parks are coordinating site planning for the new facilities, which are expected to be finished in 2005.

Founded in 1976, ARC Architects' projects include the NewHolly Community Center and Neighborhood Campus, which includes the NewHolly Branch of The Seattle Public Library, as well as the Tukwila, Eckstein and South Park community centers. It also is designing the expansion to the Library's Lake City Branch and an adjoining neighborhood service center.

Hewitt Architects, established in 1975, applied for the project with Johnston Architects, which was founded in 1990. Hewitt's work includes the Lake City Civic Center parking garage, plaza and redevelopment of Albert Davis Park, the improvement of Bergen Place Park in Ballard and the Northgate Town Center Charrette - a series of workshops that examined Northgate-area public projects. Johnston Architects recently was chosen to design the South Park Branch of The Seattle Public Library. Along with Cutler Architects, Johnston Architects designed the new Capitol Hill Branch, which is currently under construction.

Founded in 1977, The Miller/Hull Partnership's designs include the Fisher Pavilion Building at Seattle Center, Discovery Park Visitor Center, the "Pop Mounger" Pool in Magnolia, the Fremont Public Association Resource Center that houses the new Wallingford Branch of The Seattle Public Library, the Garfield Community Center, and Bainbridge Island City Hall. The firm also designed the addition to the Library's North East Branch.

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, established in 1977, developed master plans for the Ballard Municipal Center and the Bellingham Cultural District. It also designed the Bellevue Regional Library and the Kirkland and Bothell libraries for the King County Library System, and designed the multi-use International District Village Square project in Seattle.

Community representatives serving on the advisory committee include Michelle Rupp, who owns Nowogroski Rupp Insurance Group in Northgate and helped establish the Northgate Chamber of Commerce, and Barbara Maxwell, who has served on the Maple Leaf Community Council since 1987 and has been involved in Northgate area planning for many years.

Funding for the facilities comes from several sources.

Voters in 1998 approved the Libraries for All bond measure, which included money to build a new library in Northgate. The $5,139,000 library will include a new collection of 40,200 books and materials, reading and homework areas for children and youth, computer work stations and instruction areas and a meeting room.

In 1999, Seattle voters approved the community centers levy, which included $8.2 million for a new community center in Northgate. The community center will offer activities such as teen camps, basketball leagues, classes, after-school programs, community meetings, weddings and seniors programs.

In 2000, Seattle voters approved the $198.2 million Pro Parks Levy, which included nearly $4.4 million for a new park in Northgate. The park will play an important part in addressing the open space needs of the densely developed neighborhood.

For more information about "Libraries for All," visit the Library's Web site at www.spl.org; for more information about the community centers levy, please visit the Parks' Web site at http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/parks/Centers/comcenlevyprog99.htm .

(For more information, call Caroline Young Ullmann, Library communications assistant, at 206-615-1627, or Joelle Ligon, Parks public relations specialist, 206-233-7929.)

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Content modified: 4 October 2002

06/30/2003