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Council approves $45,000 feasibility study for Lois Wagner Memorial Library
Summary
The Richmond City Council voted to hire Anderson, Eckstein and Westrick (AEW) for a $45,000 feasibility study to evaluate possible additions and accessibility upgrades to the Lois Wagner Memorial Library. The committee expects draft plans and cost estimates in about 10–12 weeks.
The Richmond City Council approved a $45,000 contract with Anderson, Eckstein and Westrick (AEW) to complete a feasibility study for the Lois Wagner Memorial Library.
City Manager said the study will examine the existing library, recommend approaches to add on to the building if feasible, and provide cost estimates to give the library board, the design committee and the council a clearer picture of options.
Julianne, a member of the library design committee, said the committee interviewed three of six firms that responded to the request for proposals and felt AEW’s in-house team and prior local experience made them the best fit. “Those of us that were on the committee felt very comfortable with them,” she said. The committee expects AEW to deliver plans and cost estimates in about 10 to 12 weeks.
The study will identify structural and code issues, including bringing bathrooms up to current compliance for a building built in the 1970s, and produce estimated costs for renovation or an addition. Council members said the committee and the library board will use the study to determine whether and how to pursue construction, which would require identifying sufficient financing.
A motion to approve the AEW contract was made and supported on the record; the motion passed. The council and the library committee will continue to work with AEW during the study, and any future construction contract would return to the council for approval.
The council’s action formalizes the next step in a multiyear conversation about the library’s condition and capacity: the feasibility study will inform whether the city can move forward with an addition or major renovation and how much funding would be needed.
Ending: The council did not set a funding source beyond the $45,000 contract; the committee and staff will use the study to identify potential costs and funding options before any construction decisions are made.
