Marianna Lack Library project still short of funds; commissioners asked to meet with contractor and architect

Representatives for the Marianna Lack Library project told the Swain County Board of Commissioners on April 1 that construction bids remain higher than expected and the project still needs additional fundraising and cost reductions to proceed.

Ellen Snodgrass, speaking for the library team, said contractors’ schedules and bid prices — many tied to firms based in Asheville — have constrained progress. She said the construction bid had fallen from $5.6 million to $5.4 million after some design changes and that further reductions might be possible with additional plan adjustments; the project team estimated a total project budget near $7.0 million. Snodgrass told the board the library has raised $6.2 million so far and asked for a meeting with county staff, the contractor and the architect to review options and value-engineer the design.

Project leaders also described site work already in progress, including protecting and moving a historically significant tree to a local farm. They reported ongoing logistical needs for the project: a storage and moving quote for packing and storing library materials and furniture of about $90,000 and a security-system quote of about $95,000. Library staff said those costs could be covered with federal FF&E reimbursement funds secured for the project but that additional community contributions and grants remain necessary. Snodgrass asked the board to meet with project staff to speed decision-making on value engineering and schedule coordination.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about grant timing and whether programmatic grants would be appropriate later in construction; library staff said some time-sensitive program grants must wait until the facility is open. No formal county funding decision was made at the meeting; library leaders requested follow-up discussions.