Officials to take bids for changes to library

Officials want a better idea of the actual cost before moving ahead.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Lepper Library officials will be taking bids this spring for a proposed library expansion and renovation project.
If the bid amounts are near the $3.3 million estimate for the undertaking, the project could get under way later this year, said Nancy Simpson, library director.
"It's real close to reality," Simpson said of getting started on the project, which has been in the planning stages for years.
"We have a reasonable expectation" of being able to start the 12-month to 18-month-long project this year, Simpson said.
But should bids be too high, officials may delay the undertaking until next year and try to raise more money for the project.
Library officials had hoped to begin work in spring 2001. But planning and funding concerns prompted them to delay it until this year.
Project has grown: Meanwhile, the project has grown in scope.
Originally, it was to cost about $2 million.
But officials decided to increase the size of the addition from 8,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet.
The additional space will house a garage for the library's bookmobile and a conference room.
In keeping with the original plans, the rest of the addition will be occupied by books, computers, a children's room, reference area and study facilities.
Another element that has increased the project's cost is the previously unforeseen expense of containing and removing asbestos.
The cancer-causing material is present in an old 2,000-square-foot addition the library will raze as part of the project's renovation phase.
The old addition is being taken down because it's inaccessible to disabled people and has a leaky roof.
Cost concerns: Now that the project is estimated to cost $3.3 million, library officials are concerned about having enough money.
So far, the library has salted away nearly $1.5 million toward the project. The money comes from part of the library's annual state funding allocation. About $150,000 is from bequests and donations.
If the project moves ahead, the library probably would make up the $1.8 million difference by borrowing some of that amount and conducting fund-raisers, Simpson said.
Library officials envision a renovation and expansion that will modernize the structure without sacrificing its distinctive 19th-century looks.
The brick building, built in 1897 at 303 E. Lincoln Way, features stain-glass windows, vaulted ceilings and varnished woodwork. It's architecture was inspired by English country churches.
The library was named for Virginia Cornwell Lepper, whose donation helped build it.