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Library renovation hit by groundwater infiltration; council set to approve $1.17M change order from contingency
Summary
City staff told council that new water infiltration at the Richardson Public Library requires excavation and exterior waterproofing on the north, south and west facades; staff recommended change order #2 (~$1,170,000) funded from bond contingency and warned it will push final construction and the six-week move-in timeline into late summer.
City staff told the Council that water infiltration discovered during the Richardson Public Library renovation requires broader exterior waterproofing work and a change order on the consent agenda.
Charles Goff, who overviewed construction, said the renovation is about 75% complete. The project team has seen persistent water infiltration on the west facade (previously the east side had been the primary problem). Based on findings from the building-envelope consultant, staff recommends excavating the north, south and west facades and installing exterior waterproofing similar to work already completed on the east side. Change order #2, listed on the consent agenda as item 10(c), is approximately $1,170,000 and would be funded from the FY23 bond contingency set aside for this program.
Goff said much of the waterproofing work can occur concurrently with remaining interior finishes, but some exterior finish work cannot be completed until waterproofing is done. That schedule effect pushes the primary construction completion into June and then requires a roughly six-week move-in period for furniture and books. Jenny Davidson, director of library services, explained the operational impact: closing and moving the library during the busy summer program season would harm programming, summer reading and community services; staff recommended staying in the temporary library over summer and scheduling the final move and reopening in September after school starts.
Council members asked technical questions about cause and remediation; staff described waterproofing membranes, sump pumps and perimeter drainage as elements of the fix and said the design consultant is confident the approach will resolve the infiltration and provide a warranty. The change order was approved as part of the consent agenda later in the meeting.
The change order will be funded from the bond contingency reserves and staff said more than $2.5 million will remain in contingency after the approval. Staff committed to returning to the council with updated, specific move dates as work progresses.
