Troy council approves $222,000 schematic-design contract for new public library

Troy City Council on Jan. 27 approved a budget amendment of $222,000 and awarded a contract to HBM Architects LLC of Cleveland to produce a schematic design and an opinion of probable cost for a proposed new Troy Public Library building.

The contract and budget amendment passed on a voice vote with seven council members voting yes and one member, David Hamilton, excused due to illness. Mayor Baker moved the resolution and it was seconded by Councilmember Hodorick.

The schematic-design work will include a recommended layout and a probable-cost estimate intended to inform whether and how the city places a library construction proposal before voters. Library Director Emily Dumas told council the selection committee chose HBM after reviewing proposals from across the country and interviewing finalists. Dumas said the firm, which works exclusively on library projects, agreed to a compressed schedule and proposed completing the required deliverables by May 30.

Why it matters: library staff and an outside consultant, Rethinking Libraries, concluded the current Troy Public Library is undersized and functionally obsolete. Dumas told council the facility has not had major improvements since 1984, serves more than 1,000 visitors daily, and has experienced recent service disruptions tied to aging infrastructure. Council members described the work as a necessary step to define options and costs before pursuing a bond or ballot question.

Council discussion and selection process: Dumas said the city received many responses to its request for proposals; the selection process considered experience, cost, timeline, methodology and references. Council members praised the staff's vetting: one said the packet showed the city had evaluated 13 firms, whittled the list to six, and brought finalists before a selection committee. Councilmembers noted HBM's prior work with Rethinking Libraries and its portfolio of library projects, including work on the Toledo-Lucas County Main Library and other regional projects, which staff included in the agenda packet as examples.

Scope and next steps: council approved a budget amendment moving $222,000 from the library fund balance to the library operating fund to pay HBM for the schematic design and cost opinion. Dumas said HBM will begin by reviewing the consultant's earlier community-engagement work, meet library staff and stakeholders, and incorporate that input into the schematic design. Council members and staff discussed that the new facility is likely to be sited on a different lot within or near the civic center campus and that designers will evaluate how the library interacts with nearby facilities.

Public comment: April Church, identifying herself as co-president of the Friends of the Brunswick-White Hartlef Library, urged council to approve the award and described long-standing public support for a new library. Council members repeatedly thanked library staff, the selection committee and citizen supporters for their involvement in the multi-stage process.

The council directed staff to proceed with the contract work and return with the schematic design and cost opinion; any decision to seek voter approval for construction would come later and, if pursued, would be placed before residents for a future ballot decision.