8/7/2009 12:17:00 PM All's in place for library construction
Ryan Dostalek ConnectFitchburg.com
It didn't take long for the City Council to support the recommendation to retain a Minnesota firm to be construction manager for the city's new library.
When the council met July 28, Steve and Diane Streck spoke in support of reconsidering the recommendation and instead retain a Fitchburg firm, Tri-North Builders.
"It simply is wrong," Steve Streck said. He questioned whether Tri-North had "upset" someone during the review process, and said it was "extremely rare" to encounter serious problems during construction when a local firm supervised construction.
Diane Streck said she was "shocked and surprised" at the recommendation to retain Mortenson Construction, and said retaining a local firm would have aided fundraising.
Ald. Steve Arnold said he was sympathetic to these concerns and would try to include a preference for local firms in future decisions, but said the principle shouldn't be applied retroactively.
Ald. Bill Horns cast the only vote against the recommendation to retain Mortenson, and said his position was done "by instinct."
Giving consideration to local firms was "just the right thing to do," he said.
Ald. Richard Bloomquist said Mortenson had worked on 30 libraries versus two by Tri-North.
"My vote is not anything against Tri-North," he said.
Mayor Jay Allen had expected several people to speak on the issue, perhaps for an hour or more, and characterized the discussion as "uncharacteristically quiet."
During the discussion to authorize borrowing for the library, Bloomquist said he was "getting very nervous" about the effort to raise $4 million in private donations.
Although Bill Linton with Promega Corporation has already pledged $1 million, Bloomquist said he wasn't "getting any more warm and fuzzy feelings" about private support for the library. He said it would be his last vote in support of the library until fund raising increases.
Ald. Darren Stucker said he was also shocked to learn that the fund-raising campaign hadn't started.
But Phil Sveum, treasurer of the Library Board, said they had stopped fundraising after the referendum when the council failed to endorse the library. Only during May had the council indicated its full support for the library, he said.
"We never said it (fundraising) would be easy," Sveum said, but he expected the start of construction would prompt an increase in community support.
Ald. Andy Potts voted against issuing bonds for the library. Mike Harrigan, the city's financial manager, said a federal program will save the city approximately $2 million in interest on the library bonds. "If bonds are issued, construction (of the library) is obviously a commitment," Harrigan said.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the library is slated for May 2010 with the library opening a year later.
Other milestones in the process include hiring of a director in mid-June, 2010, with other members of the management team hired several months later. The staff would occupy the new building in March 2011.
