Grand Forks Public Library officials will be choosing this week the architectural firm that will lead them through the process of replacing the existing library.
Starting at noon today, four finalists will each make two-hour presentations at City Hall. The finalists are actually teams of local architects and architects from other parts of the country that have expertise in libraries.
They are:
- EAPC, a local firm, and the Clark Enersen Partners from Lincoln, Neb.
- Leo A. Daly and BTR from Minneapolis and local firm Widseth Smith Nolting.
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- National firm PSA-Dewberry with a branch in Monroe, Wis.; BCA architects; and Widseth Smith Nolting.
- MSR from Minneapolis and local firm JLG Architects.
Library Board Chairwoman Susan Mickelson said officials will hold discussions after the presentations today and Friday, and she expects they'll make a decision by the end of Friday.
The finalists were pared down from a list of nine interested teams that responded to the library's request for qualifications.
This is different from a request for a proposal where the teams would've submitted proposed designs. Here the library expects the teams to guide officials and the community through the design process. The winning team would be expected to hold workshops to receive community input.
What the team knows so far is the library is expected to be about 63,000 square feet and have a budget of $12.2 million, depending on whether voters agree to a sales tax in September.
One part of the request for proposal requires finalists to propose fees they'll charge, which will happen as part of the presentation, Mickelson said.
She said a committee of members of the library task force that's moved the project up to this point and local industry experts will choose the winning team. "At this point, it'll be about relationships," she said, how comfortable local stakeholders are with the winning team.
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Reach Tran at (701) 780-1248; (800) 477-6572, ext. 248; or send e-mail to ttran@gfherald.com .
