Council told library renovation needs $1.17 million waterproofing change order; city staff recommends closing move to fall
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Summary
Project staff recommended a $1,170,000 change order to excavate and install exterior waterproofing around the Richardson Public Library after persistent water infiltration; staff said much of the work can be done concurrently and recommended finishing construction in May but delaying the full move until August with a September reopening.
City project staff reported progress on the Richardson Public Library renovation (about 75% complete) but recommended change order number 2, roughly $1,170,000, to address persistent water infiltration on the west facade of the building.
Assistant City Manager Charles Gough (introduced as Charles Gough) said earlier change-order work focused on the east side had resolved known issues there, but site observations during construction revealed ongoing infiltration on the west, north and south facades. He said the recommended work would involve excavation around those facades, installation of an exterior waterproofing membrane and intermittent sump pumps, and would be funded from an existing bond-progam contingency.
"We think that'll be sufficient to prevent it from happening again," Gough said of the proposed excavation-plus-membrane approach, which the design team and a building-envelope consultant recommended. The work, staff said, can run concurrently with many interior finishes, but exterior wall work will push substantial completion into June and require about six weeks to move furniture and collections.
Jenny Davidson, director of library services, told council the library’s summer months are the busiest for programs and services. She recommended the renovated facility be completed in May-June but that the library remain in its temporary location through summer programming, with a planned closure in early August for the six-week move and a reopening in September.
Funding: staff noted a $5,000,000 bond contingency was established in FY23; prior change order #1 used a portion of that contingency and about $4,000,000 remained. After the proposed $1.17 million change order, staff said the contingency would still have more than $2.5 million available for the bond program.
The change order was placed on the consent agenda and later approved as part of the consent motion; council did not debate the item at length during the consent vote.
