Marion selects library architect

Marion selects library architect

West Memphis firm will oversee design of addtion to Woolfolk branch

news@theeveningtimes.com

Marion has authorized the hiring of PKM Architects of West Memphis to build an addition to the Woolfolk Library.

The library is planning to build a 20 by 50 foot room on the east side of the building which will provide them with more work space.

“They are the ones who designed the building and did the first addition,” said Mayor Frank Fogleman.

PKM Architects specializes in public, commercial, and healthcare buildings and has designed such local landmarks as Marion Elementary and Junior High Schools, Fidelity Bank in Marion and West Memphis, West Memphis High School Arena, Schoettle Medical Education Center, and the Marion Berry and Wellness Centers at ASU MidSouth.

The addition will cost about $180,000. The bulk of the funding will come from Marion and a voter approved $220,000 bond.

Crittenden County is also contributing $20,000 to the cost.

“We think it is going to cost less than that,” said County Librarian Debbe Davenport “We are hoping that $220,000 will cover not just this addition, but for something in the future.”

The library has received a $90,000 grant from the Assisi Foundation of Memphis but is about $15,000 short of raising the required match.

“It’s still in the working stages right now,” Davenport said. “We are still working on a couple of other things so we can get the match.”

The addition is necessary because the library continues to grow and is out of space. Currently, library staff is having to utilize a meeting room to process books that come in to the county’s seven library branches. The library gets about 400 books a week.

The new room will provide them with a bigger, wider, and more open work space so that they can reclaim the meeting room.

The Woolfolk Library has approximately 42,000 items in circulation. About 3,500 people visit the library each months and an additional 1,300 people a month visit to use the computers.

Councilman Kelly O’Neal asked whether PKM would be on site to closely inspect the work this time.

“Aren’t they the ones who had the design plans and we had a problem with the roof?” O’Neal asked.

“Their design wasn’t carried out by the contractors,” Fogleman answered.

“But they were supposed to be doing the inspection,” O’Neal said.

“You tell me how closely an architect inspects his stuff,” Fogleman responded.

O’Neal then asked how much the architectural fees

will be. “How are we going to determine

these fees?”

O’Neal said.

Fogleman said he hasn’t seen the fees yet, but anticipates they will be low and within industry standards.

“I’m sure there is a standard fee that architects adhere to and I would expect he adheres to that — or less,” Fogleman said.

Marion expects to issue the bonds by June or July.

By Mark Randall