The South Park Branch of The Seattle Public Library moves into the construction phase April 11 with the Library’s call for a general contractor to build a new branch to provide library service to the underserved community.
Contractors are invited to submit bids by 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 11. For more information, contact: Marc Pevoto, Johnston Architects, 3503 N.E. 45th St., Suite 2, Seattle, WA 98105, (206) 523-6150.
A pre-bid meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 27 at the project site at the southeast corner of South Cloverdale Street and Eighth Avenue South. Library staff members and the architects will be present to review the project requirements.
The estimated construction cost for the project is $1.33 million. The overall project budget is $2,741,137, which includes the Library Board-approved addition in August 2004 of $203,046.
Johnston Architects designed the 5,000-square-foot branch to have a strong civic presence and to create a space that will offer people a sense of pride and ownership. A vacant building on the site was demolished in December 2003. The branch is expected to open in the second half of 2006.
The new branch will have a collection capacity of 18,700 books and materials, a special area for children, computers, instructional spaces, and parking.
The branch also will include artwork by Seattle artist Franklin Joyce, who will use theatrical lighting equipment to project images onto the exterior western wall of the new building. The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs manages the Library’s public art program.
The project is being funded out of the Opportunity Fund, a special fund created as part of the “Libraries for All” (LFA) bond measure to be used for new or unanticipated neighborhood library capital needs for underserved areas of Seattle.
Voters approved the $196.4 million LFA bond measure in 1998. The bond money, which can be used only for construction of libraries, is funding new and improved branches, in addition to the new Central Library.
To date, the Library has completed the new Central Library and the Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, Columbia, Delridge, Green Lake, Greenwood, High Point, NewHolly, North East, Rainier Beach, Wallingford and West Seattle branches. The renovated Fremont Branch opens Saturday, April 16, and the new Ballard Branch opens Saturday, May 14. Many other branches are currently in the planning, design or construction phase.
The Seattle Public Library Foundation continues to raise funds from private sources to enhance the public bond commitment and keep pace with the demands of patrons for a high level of library service. Every dollar raised will ensure a level of excellence in the Library’s facilities, collections, and programs that would not be possible through its tax-based support alone.
For more information about “Libraries for All” or the Foundation, visit the Library’s Web site at www.spl.org.
(For more information, call Caroline Young Ullmann, assistant communications director, 206-615-1627.)
Return to the Libraries for All capital projects page
Return to the list of Libraries for All press release headlines
Content modified: 11 April 2005
12/30/2005
© 1999-2006 - The Seattle Public Library