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05/27/1997CLEARWATER MAIN LIBRARY SITE SELECTION TASK FORCE CITY OF CLEARWATER May 27, 1997 Present: Tony Bacon Chair Don Gage Board Member/Foundation Board Wally Dutton Board Member/Foundation Board Christine Morris Board Member/Library Advisory Board/Friends Board David Berry Friends Board Judy Melges Board Member/Library Advisory Board/Friends Board Julie Lewis Foundation Executive Director Brooke Hartley Friends Board Kathy Rabon Clearwater Chamber of Commerce (departed 12:05 p.m.) Rita Garvey Mayor J. B. Johnson City Commissioner Karen Seel City Commissioner Ed Hooper City Commissioner Bob Keller Assistant City Manager/Economic Development Randy Park Architect, Park Gowan Gene Aubry Architect, Park Gowan Paul Herwig Architect, Gee & Johnson Jon Toppe Architect, Harvard-Jolly Arlita Hallam Library Director Pat Sullivan Board Reporter Also Present: Other Library staff, Board Members and interested citizens Absent: Rich Engwall Foundation Board Glenn Garte Board Member/Library Advisory Board Bob Clark City Commissioner The meeting was called to order by Chair Bacon at 11:25 a.m. in the Clearwater Room at the Harborview Center, Clearwater. In order to provide continuity for research, the items will be listed in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. Board Reporter Pat Sullivan recorded the minutes and notes of the meeting. Board Reporter Brenda Moses drafted and finalized the minutes. 1. Welcome: Tony Bacon, Chair Chair Bacon welcomed everyone to the meeting. 2. Introduction of Architects: Arlita Hallam Purpose of this Meeting Dr. Hallam explained the purpose of the meeting was to listen to presentations from 3 architectural firms, which would assist the Task Force in making decisions about a site for the new Main Clearwater Library. 3. Architects’ Approaches to Site Selection: Gene Aubry: Site Selection Criteria Mr. Randy Park and Mr. Gene Aubry, architects with Park Gowan, located in Anna Marie Island, Florida presented their views on a site for the new Clearwater Main Library. It was noted that Mr. Aubry and Mr. Park have worked on many public library projects including: 1) the Richland County Public Library in Columbia, South Carolina; 2) the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenberg County in North Carolina; 3) the main public library for Boulder, Colorado; 4) the main public library for Corpus Christi, Texas; 5) the main public library for Birmingham, Alabama; 6) the main public library for Houston, Texas; 7) the main public library for Sarasota, Florida; and 8) the main public library for Greensboro, North Carolina. Mr. Aubry noted that a site issue can become a political or racial issue in some cases. From his experience, as governments delayed the selection of an acceptable site, those libraries lost 1,000 square feet a month because of construction costs. Criteria that should be considered in site selection included: 1) future expansion potential; 2) flexibility to accommodate automobile parking and movement of automobiles comfortably, including staff parking; 3) landscaping; 4) restrooms; 5) book drop conveniences and adequate space requirements; 6) pedestrian conveniences; and 7) state of the art building that will work 50 years from now. He suggested spending money wisely and not putting artificial limitations on construction and architectural design. How to deal with children and adult spaces is important. Water retention is also an issue. Bicycle patrons should also be a consideration. Timing and how the building is built is important. The site should be designed from the inside out, efficient, and operated with as few staff as possible. In response to a question, Mr. Aubry said the bluff has beauty and a wonderful park, and a new library could be built next to the Harborview Center. Negative aspects included the parking issue, and future expansion. The east end property is flat and construction can begin immediately. There are no architectural limitations on the east end site. A negative expressed was that the east end site is not visually attractive. Paul Herwig: Landscaping and Engineering Concerns Mr. Paul Herwig, Mr. Phil Cranell, and Mr. John Gray, architects with Gee & Jenson, located in West Palm Beach, Florida shared their views regarding site selection. Some of their public library projects have included: 1) New Port Richey, Florida; 2) Daytona Beach, Florida; 3) Tarpon Springs, Florida; 4) Port Charlotte, Florida; 5) Sunrise, Florida; 6) Deland, Florida; 7) Clewiston, Florida 8) Spring Hill, Florida; 9) Deerfield Beach, Florida and many others. Mr. Herwig discussed the main library as a whole. It is important to consider traffic engineering, landscape architecture and all other disciplines that are part of putting the project together. He stated one should maximize the opportunities available for site selection. The building will be a symbol of the community. He noted some of the opportunities and liabilities he experienced with the Tarpon Springs Library. The criteria dealt with access, on site parking, the footprint of the building, and the natural features of the potential sites. Expansion capabilities and convenience were also considered. A central location affects usage. He introduced the concept of ownership in terms of how much involvement the Library committee should have. Mr. Phil Cranell noted that the new Main Clearwater Library will be a significant project. It is important to make the project successful, while utilizing funds allocated for the project in order to deliver as much of a community resource as is possible. Any site can be converted into a library site, but would prove costly. Consideration should be given to: 1) developability, including cleaning out the site, removing existing structures, and preparation for construction; 2) underground materials in the soil and foundation needs; 3) drainage issues; 4) type of site access available from surrounding streets; and 5) overall character of the landscaping, including soil considerations, and what currently exists or can thrive in that location. These issues can be determined in a workshop to quantify cost considerations. Another factor is construction timeframes and disruptions. Contractors are always subject to their subcontractors’ timeframes. This aspect will affect other community events. Misused landscaping can create inconveniences and detract from accessibility and cause maintenance and budget problems over the years. Hurricane hardening is a major factor to consider in construction design and planning. Windblown projectiles that can affect roofing and windows should be considered. Much of the damages occur from rains after the storms hit because of roof and window destruction. Consideration of neighboring building and how they could affect the library building during severe storms is important. In response to a question, Mr. Herwig stated positives and negatives to the bluff and east end sites. He felt the bluff site has an access and parking problem, but is a beautiful location and is inspiring. The east end site has accessibility, parking capabilities and with 15 acres the footprint could be achieve, and there could be synergy with cultural services and other land uses. Negative points included 1) it does not offer any natural, inspiring features, but could possibly be introduced; and 2) the mindset of citizens to utilize that site for a library. Jon Toppe: Compatible Adjacent Uses of Property Mr. Jon Toppe and Ward Friszolowski, architects with Harvard-Jolly, located in St. Petersburg, Florida expressed their opinions regarding site selection. Their public library projects included: 1) Orange County public library branches; 2) Temple Terrace Library; 3) Flagler County Library; 4) Tampa Regional and Branch Libraries; 5) St. Petersburg Main Library and branches; 6) Dunedin Public Library; 7) St. Petersburg Beach Library; 8) Plant City Library; 9) Gulfport Library; 10) Seminole Library; and 11) the design of several fine art centers and museums, including the Salvador Dali, Florida International Museum, and Great Explorations and the Largo Cultural Arts Center. Mr. Toppe presented a slide show on compatible adjacent uses for a new library. He noted 3 different levels of compatible uses: 1) the macro scale, which is what the library means to the community and long term community goals and master plan, and how it fits into the neighborhood; 2) the micro scale, which is the scale of the library and its immediate sites and related uses to enhance the library, as well as compatible community and public uses; and 3) the internal uses which can make the library a better place for patrons, and what community services could be offered. How a site can be a catalyst for development is a vital consideration. He suggested several types of facilities that would be compatible with a new main library, such as theaters, museums, a conference center, meeting rooms, copy centers, retail shops, day care centers and others. He suggested that the site incorporate 100% growth of the building and parking facilities. Future expansion should not be underestimated. He reviewed the bluff and east end sites and noted attributes for each site. The east end property is huge, flat, City-owned, has good access in all directions, good potential for connections to the rest of the community, has great opportunity to accommodate a library’s 100% growth with other related uses, it is ready to develop, and could become a potential gateway into the downtown area. He suggested thinking of the site as more than a library, and as a generator of activity. He urged everyone to keep a broad focus when selecting a site. A government information center, a federal or state document center, a police substation, a public services and help center, or a meeting facility could be related uses. Library patron services should include consideration of Internet access, restrooms and snack areas. Cafes or coffee shops, and copy centers could be operated as enterprises by the City or the library could offer tenant rental space as a patron service. The Friends of Library Bookstore and Giftshop should be incorporated into the library design. Neighborhood or community services could include an audio-visual conference room connected to the Internet that allows local businesses or schools to use video conferencing, day care for children and indigent adults, and museums and cultural centers, as well as many other opportunities could be included in the design. In response to a question, Mr. Toppe stated the potential on the east end property is evident when looking at other properties that have been developed, such as the Largo Central Park site. The bluff has beauty and history, but none of the potential that the east end property offers. It was suggested developing a list of criteria that is important to the new Main Library to include: 1) the size of the site; 2) the floodplain; 3) compatible surrounding land use; 4) whether existing structures are present and in need of demolition, or structures that may be in the way of construction; 5) is the property already City-owned or must be purchased; 6) accessibility; 7) utilities; and 8) soil conditions. Discussion ensued regarding the cost per square foot for a new library. The Columbia, South Carolina library was built at a cost of $52.00 a square foot, excluding the $10.00 per square foot for furnishings. It would be difficult to determine the exact costs until a final building design and site has been selected. It was noted that $125.00 to $135.00 per square foot for construction of the building, and $10.00 to $15.00 per square foot for furnishings and equipment, as well as 5% per year for inflation, would be a good guestimate of costs for a new library. The homeless issue was discussed. If the library is built in an area with tremendous activity, with traffic and people this situation can be prevented. Discussion ensued regarding a master plan for the new library. Retention ponds, square footage and the number of stories needed for the library, orientation of the new library for accessibility, and growth requirements were specifically discussed. It was noted that library usage is rising, and the use of computers for Internet access and computer training requires more space. Looking to the future and planning for expansion and technology is the key to the success of a new library. It was remarked that land is becoming more and more valuable and it is important to utilize it appropriately. The next Site Selection Task Force meeting is scheduled for May 29, 1997, at which time a recommendation as to a site for the new Clearwater Main Library will be offered to the City Commission. The meeting adjourned at 1:10 p.m. Attest: __________________________ Board Reporter