Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
LIBRARY DIRECTOR Lynne Wiercinski cuts a slice of cake at a celebration at the Ironwood Carnegie Library on Thursday afternoon.
By MEGAN HUGHES
Ironwood -The Ironwood Carnegie Library celebrated Andrew Carnegie's birthday on Nov. 21 with a cake and a presentation by local historian Larry Peterson.
The celebration was hosted at the historic library, with members of the community gathering to learn more about its history and its future, which includes a planned addition.
"We are hoping to see ground break early next spring," said library director Lynne Wiercinski, "It is sounding like the building itself will probably be completed by fall of 2025. After that, we will be looking into the interior design and such, but the building will be up."
The library received a grant totaling $750,000 earlier this year for a Community Center Space Project through the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. The project will see an addition built out the rear of the historic library with a breezeway connecting the two structures.
Plans for the 1,000-square foot new space include moving the children's section to the addition, allowing for it to be more easily accessible for parents and kids alike, and inclusion of other community spaces for programming purposes.
According to Wiercinski, library officials are discussing turning the current children's room in the basement into meeting spaces or programming space once the children's library is moved to its new location in the addition.
The project also will include the installation of a wheelchair lift to facilitate transfers between the front basement door and the library basement, allowing for that area to be accessible to all patrons. The cost of the lift and work to the surrounding walkway and entryway will total $11,100.
In preparation for construction plans, the library is gathering funds for an asbestos abatement, with that cost estimated at $10,000. The abatement is a preliminary step in assuring continued, safe construction plans.
During the celebration, the library provided a summary of project participants.
Meyer Group Architecture, which has offices in Wisconsin and Minnesota, won its bid of $55,600 for architectural services. The Western U.P. Planning and Development Region in Hancock is providing grant administration services for $28,800. TriMedia Environmental and Engineering Services LLC, a Michigan company with several locations, is providing risk and hazardous material assessments for $9,900.
Ruotsala Construction in Ironwood will construct the project at a cost of $672,639, also determined through a bidding process.
According to Wiercinski, the addition is required to meet standards set by the State Historic Preservation Office, and plans had to be adapted to meet those standards, which added $31,400 to the project.
In total, the library estimates that total project costs will reach $820,339.
Moreover, if fundraising were to go well, library officials also have proposed additional windows on the main building, an aluminum storefront, and a glazed wall breezeway instead of the wood framed one currently planned. These additional options would increase the total project cost to $852,139.
