Wednesday, June 24, 2015
BOARDMAN
The buildings and sites committee of the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County board of trustees awarded a $600,655 contract to The Adolph Johnson & Son Co. of Mineral Ridge for a renovation project at the Boardman branch.
The committee, authorized by the board to award a contract, reviewed five bids at a meeting Tuesday. Adolph Johnson submitted the lowest bid; the highest bid came in at $677,000.
Work is set to begin the second week of July for the project, which includes a number of changes to the building that opened in 1992 at 7860 Glenwood Ave.
Changes, planned by Olsavsky Jaminet Architects Inc., include:
Creation of a “highly visible” feature area, including a large-screen television, that would display items the library staff wishes to highlight.
Addition of a coffee counter.
Merger of the clerks’ and librarians’ services desks into a single service desk.
Modification of an existing classroom into an activity center.
Addition of an outdoor “adult terrace” and an adjacent children’s garden.
Installation of return slots that send library materials directly into the building.
Addition of power plugs throughout the building.
Installation of a new front walkway.
Addition of a “featured/high demand materials” area that will act as a casual sitting area.
Construction is expected to last several months, during most of which the library will remain open.
“We anticipate possibly closing around the end of August for a short time for work on the front entrance,” said Janet Loew, library communications and public relations director.
“We appreciate our customers having patience while this project is under way,” Loew said, adding that library users might want to use nearby branches, such as the Poland and Newport locations, during the project.