The cost of replacing Williamsburg's proposed downtown library has increased by several million dollars as council nears voting on the project.
The new price adds about $5 million to the $26 million estimate presented last year. Council could vote by mid-September.
Project contractors told council on Tuesday that they expect the building would cost at least $30 million, and would surpass $31 million if they include optional features; that’s after designers shrank the square footage by 5%, reduced the number of elevators and used less expensive materials on the exterior to cut costs.
I would “be remiss if I didn’t say that value engineering got us less but cost us more,” Mayor Doug Pons joked.
The updated figure is largely driven by rising costs of materials and labor, according to Library Director Sandy Towers. Adding in furniture and technology purchases, the library’s cost will reach $37 million, not including millions in interest that will be accrued while paying off the debt.
Several residents have raised concerns about the project in recent years, concerned by increasing debt from several major capital projects that Williamsburg and James City County have taken on in a relatively short period of time. Some have pushed for the city to reduce the library’s size, particularly as James City County is planning to add library space at its new government center, or they want the city to renovate the Scotland Street library instead of demolishing it for a new one.
Neither alternative is a palatable solution for Towers. She’s repeatedly told city leaders that the 50-year-old library is “bursting at the seams” and needs upgraded technology and utilities. A smaller space wouldn’t best serve the building’s nearly 8,000 weekly visitors, Towers believes, and renovating would still be a multi-million dollar expense that would leave the library with many of the same challenges.
“We would still have limited parking, we would still be working within a sprawling footprint that can be difficult to navigate and creates security concerns,” Towers said to council Tuesday. “And we would still be trying to make a building designed for another era meet the needs of Williamsburg’s future.”
The increased cost, though, does challenge Williamsburg’s tight budget.
Davenport, the city’s financial advisor, told council that Williamsburg has the capacity to layer in the debt over two years without surpassing the city’s debt cap policies. The Friends of the Williamsburg Regional Library, a philanthropic group, is preparing a capital campaign to raise nearly $3 million for furniture and technology.
The city is also looking at reallocating $5 million earmarked for a proposed live performance venue as a down payment to reduce the debt load, which would require council’s approval.
