The Dwight T. Parker Public Library is expanding! We are working closely with FEH Design to help serve our community as best as we can.
BD+C
Principal
Architectural Designer
Principal in Charge
The following was used by the design team at our first meeting on Monday, February 26th, 2024 to illustrate their – and our – intentions moving forward.
A Library that has…
- Adequate space for public use gatherings, private space, youth, teen and adult programs, and collections to best serve the community.
- Barrier-free access for everyone. ADA, walking. biking, parking, collection, restrooms, etc.
- Access to technology with high-speed internet.
- Adequate space for staff and building infrastructure.
- Support for educational partnerships.
- Preservation of the historic library building.
- Space for a local history collection.
- A contribution as a community resource and creates a sense of belonging, and pride.
A Process that…
- Considers multiple options, including other locations.
- Educates the community about the need for investment in and expansion of the library.
- Young adult, youth spaces
- Flexible spaces & furnishings
- Integrated technology
- Marketplace/neighborhood
- Makerspaces
- Collaboration, gathering
- Meeting rooms
- Gathering spaces
- Event spaces
- Celebration venues
- Quiet places
- Classroom and training spaces
The following showed our current statistics alongside a projection of what repairs would need to be done to our existing building to bring it back up to code.
- Registered Users: 654 (City Residents) and 320 (Non-Resident)
- Circulation: 27,066
- Library Visits: 11,849
- Programming: 75 programs
- Programming Attendance: 1,329
- # of Public Computers: 4
- Computer Uses: 986
- Website Visits: 3,242
- Wireless Visits: 2,019
- Materials Owned: 27,650 (books, audio, DVD, magazines/newspaper, kits, etc.)
- Fennimore Room Uses: 185 (approx.)
- Public Seating Space: 11 (adult and children’s library)
Existing Square Footage – 3,890 GSF
Projected Square Footage – 10,960 GSF
A detailed projection of space needs can be found here
LIBRARY NEEDS:
URGENT = $23,200
REQUIRED = $303,100
RECOMMENDED = $25,050
TOTAL INVESTMENT = $351,350
* Total Cost Expectation (includes General Conditions, Overhead and Profit & 1 year inflation, excludes design fees, FF&E)
A detailed list of repairs can be found here
Next, the team looked at possibilities for our future space. The first image shows a map of the existing building on the city block, with an addition in red. NOTE: The red space illustrates potential space for an expansion, not specific shape of the expansion. The second image shows other possible locations for a 10,000 – 11,000 sq. ft. building around Fennimore. NOTE: These locations have only been determined based on size; there has been no official inquiry into whether or not these sites are available to be built upon.
Thursday, March 7th, 2024, the design team spent the day in our library conducting a Spark Session. The goal of Spark Sessions is to take ideas from the community as to what they want to see in a future building. Four architects spoke with our patrons and drew ideas for potential designs in a few of the possible building locations. That night, at the second meeting, they discussed these designs with everyone who attended and those in attendance got to vote for their top three designs. A collection of images showing the aerial view of the land and the designs drawn can be found on the FEH Design website.
Tuesday, March 12th, 2024, another Spark Session was held in the library. This time, the team drew up more detailed designs for the sites that got the most votes from the last meeting. These designs included potential interior and exterior decoration. FEH Design’s website has been updated with those images at the same link listed in the last paragraph. The third meeting was held that evening at the Memorial Building to discuss the voting results, potential designs, criteria for location, and there was a second vote on the location/design for the, now 24, possible sites.
The fourth meeting was Monday, March 25th at 6 p.m. at the Memorial Building. Between this and the previous meetings, the design team put together an estimated cost for each site. They used a number of metrics the community came up with to determine these outcomes, which included a base capital cost and an operating cost for the future. Once again, there was lively discussion and questions about what is and isn’t important to see in the project, ending in another vote on site and general design.
Be sure to check the FEH Design website for more information, including designs, cost summaries/budgets, criteria, and other voting results.
The community has spoken and the library board has voted. We will be adding an expansion to the current building, extending to the Southern edge of the property line. And we are moving very quickly to get this done as soon as possible. We’ve got a team working on a grant application and, if everything works in our favor, we can get this project done a lot faster than projected with the help of our community.
Thanks to our wonderful grant writing committee, we have submitted the application. Now we wait and hope we are chosen as recipients. In the meantime, we appreciate greatly the donations we have received from our wonderful patrons. It’s because of you (all our patrons, not just those who donate) that we have been able to serve this community for almost 100 years. Thank you so much!
If you would like more information about, or to donate to, our building project, please contact:
Cathy Smith, Director, at 608-822-6294, or e-mail: parker9@tds.net
Return to the Public Library Building Expansion Project
