LAKEPORT >> After what seemed like a promising step closer to opening the Carnegie Library to the public faltered last year, the long-delayed project has picked up some momentum once again. The City of Lakeport awarded a construction contract to R & C Construction, with a deadline of October to use funds given.
The project would bring the Library Park facility in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible requirements. According to Lakeport’s Community Development Director Kevin Ingram, installing an elevator to provide access to the second floor, new water and sewer lines, and the remodeling of both bathrooms are among the improvements needed to help meet those requirements.
The engineer estimates a cost of $425,000 for the project. Ingram said that prices have escalated partly because of recent wildland fires. “The fire in Santa Rosa has really hurt our ability to get contractors in general,” he explained.
With a figure in place, the City opened bids early last week, and two were received — one from FRC, Inc., $479,000, and one from R & C Construction at $385,381. Lakeport then chose R & C Construction, the lowest bidder.
According to Ingram, the project will be funded by the 2016 Community Development Block Grant.
City Manager Margaret Silveira said there’s about $250,000 of this grant that can be used to make the library ADA compliant.
“So, we are about $140,000 short,” she said. “There could be more funds coming in, but we just don’t know when. There is a decision to be made by the council.”
The statement raised questions about where the City could afford to shift funds to cover that amount, and when should they.
Councilmember Kenneth Parlet said, “It’s an important part of Lakeport and if we are going to do something, let’s do something sooner than later.” He added that he would like to see more outreach and fundraising to help with construction or other additions like a suggested deck on the second floor.
Silveira suggested to the council that the City has over $2 million in reserves available to help make up the difference or the amount can be added to its Measure Z — to which “all are general funds.”
Councilmember Stacey Mattina agreed with most of the council saying, “This is such an important community project that we have to see it completed and we have the funds in reserve. The sooner, the better because the costs are just going to go up and up.”
Another question rose throughout the Tuesday meeting: What use would the library have upon construction completion?
Silveira said that majority of the public, which once listed usage purposes, agreed they would not like the library rented for private office space. Instead, many showed interest in having it used as a wine or coffee bar area, a reception space, or as an exhibit and information center for Clear Lake.
While those question remained on the table, councilmember Tim Barnes asked the manager to clarify whether the $250,000 the City already has can cover other projects like the roads and lakefront sidewalks instead of the library.
“No, that would not qualify,” Silveira answered. “The whole city would have to be low income for it to qualify for that. We have other funds that will be taking care of that (sidewalks by the lake). The city council chose to use [the $250,000] for this project.” She explained that those funds would only qualify to cover sidewalks in cities that have a 75 through the 80-percent low-income population.
The council did not decide on how to cover the difference for the project at the meeting. Construction is expected to start on March 19.
