Agonizing, Delayed Final Stretch for the Bellview Library Project.....

The Construction of the Bellview Library--District 1's First Public Library--has been beset with calamaties from day 1 to present which will push back the opening to late summer.  But we are now, thankfully, entering the home stretch in the process......

Earlier this afternoon I had the opportunity to tour our currently-under-construction, newest area libray, the soon to open Bellview Library.

Driving by the site, I had seen some progress ----but I had the lingering impression that the project was not progressing as it should.  Come to find out, I was right.  More on that, below.

So with this as the backdrop of my concern(s)--our office scheduled a site visit and walkthrough at the construction site and we brought in and included the project construction superintendent, the project architects from STOA, the county's project management team, the library services director, Administrator Moreno, and Asst. Administrators Hall and Bowers.  It was an all hands on deck evolution today.  And here's what we found out:

This project is months behind schedule, and more than likely several months away from completion.  If I had to guess--I'd say by the looks of it---- it will be a September or even October rather than a July grand opening.  This is disappointing for a number of reasons, but there are some explanations as to why this project is so far behind that were described by the folks assembled at the site meeting today.

Theft and property burglaries have been a recurrent theme.  "We've been robbed 7 times in the last 6 months on this jobsite!" explained job superintendent Brad.  He continued--"They've stolen tools, broken into storage lockers that had been double-bolted, they've stolen some high-dollar metal products we need for the next steps in the construction along with some tubing they probably thought was copper but that wasn't -- it was lengths of HVAC drain tubing that had a long lead time to order--so that has set us back."   I asked him point blank:  "How much in materials have these thieves made off with?"  To which he replied "The tools were $10K, the metals and other products from one of our subs was more than $15K--but more important than the costs of the materials stolen is the lead time in getting some of these specialized products, and so now we have to wait to finish until we get re-supplied."  he said in an exasperated tone.

Another issue that apparently was a problem was nobody had decided on what type of door to use for an emergency egress point that was found to be necessary during construction.  "Who decides?"  I asked--to which several looked at me for an answer.  So I quickly determined (by asking staff) what door we needed (which will be a $33,000.00 change order the library board will be funding)--and I said "Okay--there's the decision--get that one, the one Todd (Humble) wants."  And the decision got made on the spot.

So there have been construction delays, difficulty getting some odd-shaped windows, difficulty getting the right doors (due to supply chain issues) and we earlier had issues with stormwater and getting the appropriate sized drain lines funded.  Prior to all of this we had several revisions to our plans based on sonme site condition anomolies and other issues.   Then we had COVID and the resulting issues that brought forth. So we are now through with a lot of these problems, issues and setbacks.  And hopefully the visit today will provide some additional impetus on getting this project over the line.  I hope.

Because what I saw of what has been done on the inside, combined with some renderings that I was given during the visit, point to a really, really neat facility once it is finished.  I mean, it will have some really great amenities for the residents, students, and citizens who will utilize this library.

From multiple large meeting rooms, to state of the art computers and video games, to 3-D printers and maker space, to lots of digital media available for checkout from vending machines onsite, to the latest, most recent fiction for our adult citizen users--this facility once complete will have a litte bit of something for everyone.

It's just getting it finished that's the issue now.  We're in the pipe, headed for the checkered flag--but it's an agonizing, delayed final stretch.

SEE ALL THE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS BY CLICKING "Read More" below

Tremendous Community Support at District 1 Library Groundbreaking Ceremony Yesterday!

We appreciated the participation of 3rd and 4th grade students from Bellview Elementary School!

Thanks to Sheriff Chip Simmons for taking time out of his
busy schedule to join us for the ground breaking!

From Staff:

"Escambia County held a groundbreaking ceremony today for the new Bellview Library located at 6425 Mobile Highway in Pensacola at 1 p.m. The 12,500 square foot building is expected to be completed Spring 2022.

Thanks to D1 School Board Member Kevin Adams for 
his participation in our groundbreaking!

Escambia County is adding on to a prior bank facility, which was 2,500 square feet and 10,000 square feet will be an addition. The architect for this project is STOA Architects. Hewes and Company is the contractor. The construction cost is expected to be $3.8M for this project.

Speakers included Vice Chairman and District 1 County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh, Escambia County Administrator Janice Gilley, West Florida Public Libraries Director Todd Humble, Escambia County School Board Member Kevin Adams and Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons.

Vice Chairman and District 1 County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh said, "One of the things that I always wanted to see happen in District 1 was for us to have our own public library. We're the only district of five that did not have one. There are a lot of folks who worked hard to make sure we had the funding available and the resources in order to bring this all to fruition. I want to take a minute to thank the Library Board of Governance Division. One of the things I like about taking this four-acre property and doing what we're doing with it is we're taking a building that wasn't being used and we're now going to repurpose it for a good use. Instead of building brand new, we're repurposing, so that is a good thing. The other thing I like about this property is that there's plenty of space so once we're all done building this brand-new library and putting the parking in and stormwater retention, there's still room and some more things that we're intending to do with this property. Hopefully and eventually, there will be more than just a library.  I want to thank STOA Architects who have put together really a fantastic design for this library. A year from now, we will see the vision, and it's going be an amazing day for Escambia County, for the students and the citizens of District 1."

The main portion of the library will consist of a large open space that is divided into areas such as a lobby, a story time area, a youth area and an adult reading area. This large open space will provide entrances to other support spaces such as multiple study rooms, staff rooms, a PC area and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) room. The development of the building’s façade was inspired by origami, the art of folding paper, which is why there are angles throughout the building.

A Great Day for Celebration in District 1's Bellview Community This Monday!

MEDIA ADVISORY: Ground-Breaking Ceremony for the Bellview Library

Published Apr 05, 2021

The media and the public are invited to a ground-breaking ceremony for the new Bellview Library located at 6425 Mobile Hwy. in Pensacola on Monday, April 12 at 1 p.m. The 12,500 square foot building is expected to be completed Spring 2022. COVID-19 precautions are being taken so please RSVP at https://bit.ly/31ydSrD by Wednesday, April 7.

Speakers will include:
Chairman and District 4 County Commissioner Robert Bender 
Vice Chairman and District 1 County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh
West Florida Public Libraries Director Todd Humble
Escambia County School Board Member Kevin Adams
County Administrator Janice Gilley
(One or more Escambia County Board of County Commissioners may be in attendance)

Escambia County is adding on to a prior bank facility, which was 2,500 square feet and 10,000 square feet will be an addition. The architect for this project is STOA Architects. Hewes and Company is the contractor.

Features:

• The main portion of the library will consist of a large open space that is divided into areas such as a lobby, a story time area, a youth area and an adult reading area. This large open space will provide entrances to other support spaces such as multiple study rooms, staff rooms, a PC area and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) room.
• Most of the existing bank footprint will be utilized primarily as a meeting room but will also function as a multipurpose room to use for programs geared toward the community. This room will have the existing bank structure exposed with some acoustical clouds to control the reverberation time.
• The development of the building’s façade was inspired by origami, the art of folding paper, which is why there are angles throughout the building.
• The new library will include an exterior lawn area with the ability to project movies onto the building for events.
• Most of the old oak trees on the south side of the property will be preserved. This south side will also serve as the location for a future park and playground so the large oak trees will be able to provide natural shade.
• A sidewalk will be built that provides a direct connection between the new library and Bellview Elementary providing accessibility for children to enjoy after school programs.

Costs, Next Steps Identified for Completion of Escambia's Newest Public Library in District 1

The construction contract for Escambia's newest public library has been awarded.  The video above presents a virtual rendering of what this library (which will be located on Mobile Hwy directly across the street from Bellview Elementary School) will look like upon completion.  This Bellview library, which will be the first public library constructed and located in Escambia County's District 1, will be completed in one year-----in March of 2022.  This is a little over one year behind our initial projections of completion in 2021---due to the fact that the addition of extra, necessary parking spaces called for the design of an engineered retention pond, which in turn required engineering, plans, and permitting--all of which took an extended period of time to complete due to numerous factors not the least of which was the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.  

Thankfully--the above work has all been completed now; initial sitework is underway, temporary power has been installed, and groundbreaking is imminent.  This previous post from January of 2020 shows a rendering of how the new library will lay on the property (albeit it will now have more parking and a storm retention pond on the property).

See the lists of the materials costs totaling $3.8 Million, and the latest, revised construction timeline, below:

District 1 Bellview Library Update

An initial rendering of what the layout of 
the Bellview Public Library in District 1 
may look like upon construction 
later this year. (Courtesy of Todd Humble)

I have recently had several conversations with Escambia County's Library Services Director Todd Humble on the topic of our soon-to-be built library in District 1.  Specifically, I wanted to know where we are in the planning/design stage, and what the timeline is going forward for construction.

Artist's initial draft rendering of what the
entrance to  District 1's soon to be
constructed Bellview Public Library may look like
(Courtesy of Todd Humble)

Mr. Humble came to our 30th Coffee with the Commissioner event last Wednesday, and gave the citizens in attendance an update in person.

(those who are on Facebook and would like to watch the video and hear Todd Humble's comments  directly can find the video of the coffee here)

Artist's initial draft rendering of what the
entrance to  District 1's soon to be
constructed Bellview Public Library may look like
(Courtesy of Todd Humble)

According to Director Humble, we should complete the design in early March, at which point it will be put out for bid and that process will take approximately one month.  Upon the award of the bid, we will do a groundbreaking event at the site for the public to attend if they wish in the May/June time frame.



Folks have asked about the size of the facility--and according to Director Humble "We believe we will be between the size of our current Southwest Branch (7,500 SF) and our Tryon Branch (12,000 SF) but it is too soon to say for sure which one we will be closer to in size.  Obviously the costs of construction are a concern and we have a finite budget."

The branch will have meeting spaces for adults and children and the branch will have ebooks and magazines available to library card holders--meaning thousands of book titles will be available for download to a user's individual tablet, cellphone, or laptop device.  "There will also be roughly 250 different e-magazines available to download for free as well--many titles with which most will be familiar" said Humble.

Artist's initial draft rendering of what the
main reading room at District 1's soon to be
constructed Bellview Public Library may look like
(Courtesy of Todd Humble)

We all look forward to the opening of this facility with eager anticipation.

Read more about West Florida Public Libraries here.

Great Things Happening in our Local Libraries!

There are great things happening within  our local public library system, outlined in the below letter from Board of Governance Chairman David Bryant.  We are fortunate that we have a great library system that has a steady funding source that provides for our entire community!

The District 1 Public Library is Coming!

A 4'X4' sign will like the one above will soon be placed at our newest library location in District 1, on the former site of the Wells Fargo Bank on Mobile Hwy and Bellview Ave.

We have purchased the former Wells Fargo Bank building on Mobile Highway near Bellview elementary school.  We are in the process of re-purposing this facility as District 1's first public library.

According to staff, here is the latest information on the state of this project:

"As it stands now, a design firm will be chosen by April of 2019, the design will be finalized by September 2019, and work will be started December of 2019 with construction finished a year to a year-and-a-half later. Keep in mind all of these dates are tentative and can change."

"We were able to reserve the Bellview Elementary School, across the street from the new library sight [SIC], for Monday, February 25, 2019 with an intended 6:00 pm start."

The meeting on the 25th of February will be for the benefit of the public, and it is expected that we will give updated project timelines and details at this meeting in February.

I can't wait for this library to open, what a benefit this will be to northwest Escambia County and District 1!