Board approves forwarding Neenah Corner Phase 2 CIP request to council

The Library Board voted July 21 to forward a capital improvement program (CIP) request to the common council that supports Phase 2 of the Neenah Corner renovation. Tom Carson, staff member, presented an initial budget from PRA and explained the immediate ask is funding for architectural drawings and planning in the next fiscal cycle. Carson told the board there is a preliminary request in the CIP "roughly $50,000" for design work next year; he also discussed a broader construction placeholder of about $1,600,000 for work hoped to start in 2027. At one point Carson referenced a design fee figure of $110,000 and said the architect had recommended a range. He described scope items including window replacement, interior doors, upstairs bathroom remodeling, electrical panel updates and increased parking work.

A board member moved to forward the request to the common council; another board member seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Carson said the documentation from the PRA study seven years earlier will be used by staff and that final scheduling and funding decisions are up to the city council. "This is work that's been that is required, that we should accomplish in some point in the near future," Carson said. He added that the board's formal backing would leave the library positioned to ask the council for funds when the council sets CIP priorities.

Carson emphasized that the immediate approval is for supporting the CIP request and that construction timing and final cost will be subject to future council approval. No contract awards or borrowing were approved by the board at the meeting.