HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Public Library Board of Trustees Minutes of the Regular Meeting 10/10/2013Ames Public Library Board of Trustees
Minutes of the Special Meeting
October 10, 2013
The Ames Public Library (APL) Board of Trustees met in special session on Thursday, October
10, 2013, in Conference Room 135 of City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, with Acker, Budd, Bradley,
Campbell, Eason, Manus, Meier, and Stow in attendance. Trustee Briese was excused. Library
Director Carey and Construction Advisor Brad Heemstra were also present.
Call to Order: Board President Stow called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
Contract for Automated Materials Handling System:
Moved by Acker, seconded by Eason, to adopt a resolution recommending that the
City Council award a contract for the purchase of an automated materials handling
system to RFID Library Solutions in the amount of $350,014.00.
Briseño explained how an automated materials handling system (AMHS) works and that it will
be necessary in the renewed library in order to free up staff to take care of serving customers in
the significantly larger building. She explained that, following site visits to other libraries and the
opportunity to see AMHS demonstrations at the American Library Association Conference, the
team understood what features would be needed in Ames. She described the evaluation
process and noted that RFID Library Solutions was given the highest ranking by all evaluators
after they independently reviewed the proposals.
Trustee Stow inquired how the Board could be assured that the $350,000 figure was
competitive. Carey said it was difficult to make apples-to-apples comparisons of the proposals,
so comparisons were made on the costs offered for core systems with the same components.
She noted that the $350,014 figure included a multi-year service contract. Stow said that he was
the one who had pushed for the maintenance to be included, since the library has money now
and it’s important to make sure the system will work.
Trustee Meier said that the City did not usually allow payments for maintenance out of a capital
fund. Carey said the matter needed further discussion; however, she believed the Board could
express a preference and see how the City responds.
There was discussion about the availability of replacement parts, expandability of the system,
how long it was expected to last, and whether it would be compatible with a cloud-based
integrated library system. With respect to the cost, it was noted that $260,000 had previously
been earmarked for the AMHS. If the maintenance cost were backed out of this proposal, the
price for the equipment would be $290,014. Construction Advisor Heemstra stated that the
additional amount could be taken from the project contingency budget and about a million
dollars would still be left. Carey said that RFID Library Solutions is a relatively small firm and
can accommodate the library’s construction timeline to schedule the installation. Stow said the
Building Project Committee had talked about this contract the previous day and recommended
accepting this proposal.
Trustee Budd stated that he was impressed with the evaluation matrix, but was uncomfortable
with a contract this size being handled through negotiations rather than a bid. Carey said that
library staff had worked with the City’s Purchasing Division and Legal Department throughout
the process. It is usual practice to request proposals when a department is unsure about what
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product it wants, but knows the functionality that it needs. She stated that an Assistant City
Manager was also involved, as a member of the Building Project Committee.
Vote on Motion: 6-0-1 (Voting in favor: Acker, Bradley, Campbell, Eason, Manus,
Meier; Abstaining: Budd). Motion declared carried. Resolution declared adopted.
Carey said she would request that City Council award the contract, with the understanding that
inclusion of the five-year maintenance agreement might not be approved.
Change Order #2 for Terracon Consultants, Inc.:
Moved by Budd, seconded by Campbell, to adopt a resolution recommending City
Council approval of Change Order No. 2 with Terracon Consultants, Inc. in the
amount of $14,400 for additional days of asbestos sampling, analysis, abatement
monitoring, and reporting services.
It was noted that this request has to be approved by City Council because the cost is greater
than 20% of the original contract price. Carey pointed out that the library could have opted to
remove all asbestos-containing materials upfront, but instead decided to add scope to the
abatement contracts as needed—a tactic that has turned out to be less expensive in the end.
Vote on Motion: 7-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution declared adopted.
Change Order #1 for Scott Petersen Construction:
Moved by Acker, seconded by Bradley, to adopt a resolution recommending City
Council approval of Change Order No. 1 for Scott Petersen Construction, Inc. to allow
for complete stripping of the interior wood finish in order to achieve a uniform
appearance on 57 large window sashes and 31 small window sashes.
Stow explained the problem that Mr. Peterson has encountered and indicated that his request
would be a re-scope to the project. The architect has been consulted and the Building Project
Committee determined that complete stripping of the sashes needs to be done if the Board
wants the work to look nice.
Budd proposed that the cost be added to the resolution. Acker accepted the suggestion as a
friendly amendment.
Meier said the Building Project Committee had discussed the issues, including the question of
whether this request might cause other bidders to complain; she feels it’s important to note that
with the increased amount, Petersen’s contract is still lower than any of the other bids.
Heemstra said that he and the architect tested out whether this was truly a change in the
contract and they agree that the specifications for interior work call for what he referred to as
“sand and finish.” Asking for all layers of varnish to be stripped down to bare wood is an
appropriate change in contract requirements. Heemstra said it was his opinion that if the Board
opted not to have Petersen go ahead with complete stripping, it would be unhappy with the
result. Petersen would also not feel satisfied as a contractor.
Acker pointed out that the origin of this additional amount needs to be associated with the
mandate to restore the windows when the matter is presented to the Council.
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Eason wondered why Petersen had not been able to catch this problem until the sashes were
taken down. Heemstra said he had called from his shop after finding that the layers of varnish
could not be sanded. He said the original bid documents were not as detailed as they should
have been. An addendum was issued that specifically called for stripping the exterior lead-
containing paint; the design team should probably have reviewed the scope on the interior
surfaces more closely at that time.
Heemstra said he is a bit worried about a few of the other surfaces inside, although the window
casings appear to have been cleaned more thoroughly than the sashes were before re-
varnishing in the past. If any other problems are presented, they will have to be taken up on a
case-by-case basis.
Vote on Motion as amended: 7-0. Motion approved unanimously. Resolution declared
adopted.
Updates:
Change Order #6 for A&P/Samuels Group, A Joint Venture
Heemstra explained the six line items included in the change order, noting that it will bring
Samuels Group’s total contract sum to $12,632,526, but there will still be over $900,000 in the
amount reserved for potential future change orders.
Change Order #5 for Abatement Specialties
Heemstra stated that this change order will allow for abatement of areas where penetrations
had to be made into the walls on the mezzanine. He remarked that the abatement work is quite
difficult and he is impressed with the reasonableness of the cost.
Acker asked for an update on the glass in the steel windows. Stow said it all broke when the
contractors tried to remove it. Heemstra said they tried very hard to preserve it, but the glazing
was thick, hard, and old, so every pane shattered. Replacement panes are not very expensive
and this circumstance may afford the possibility of increasing energy efficiency.
Change Order #2 for Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd.
Carey said that some of the work included in this change order is related to a re-organization
that will be discussed on October 24. The result of the reorganization plan is that less office
space will be needed, making it possible to increase the amount of public space on the first
floor. Heemstra said MSR will prepare a change request and the Samuels Group will price it.
State Historic Preservation Officer’s Determination
Stow reported that Gloria Betcher sent in a second request for an Eligibility Review and the
State Historic Preservation Office has now indicated that the building is eligible to apply for
listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Determination does not mean the
building will necessarily get listed. He said it is the first step in a long and complex process of
applying for historic tax credits, which would need to involve the APL Friends Foundation
(APLFF) and the services of a tax consultant in an attempt to get back 25% of up to $750,000.
There was discussion about possible next steps. Carey said the Library Board would not have
to apply for National Register listing; in fact, it is her understanding that the Historic Preservation
Commission would encourage having community volunteers or ISU students do it, as they did
three years ago. The decision to apply for the tax credits would, however, have to be made by
the Library Board and the credits would have to be assigned to the APLFF. She said one of the
first tasks would be to determine how much is actually being spent on the old parts of the
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building. Heemstra said he was not sure how the amount could be calculated, since the cost of
the project was not parsed out between sections of the building. It would definitely require help
from the architect—which would mean another change in scope and additional expense to
MSR’s contract.
Trustee Budd said the Board would need to make sure everyone understood exactly what the
responsibilities were; he also noted that no one on the Board had even seen what Ms. Betcher
had submitted.
Adjournment:
Moved by Bradley, seconded by Manus, to adjourn at 6:18 p.m.
Vote on Motion: 7-0. Motion carried unanimously.
The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, October 24, 2013, at 7:00 p.m., in the City
Council Chambers, 515 Clark Avenue.
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Karen C. Thompson, Administrative Assistant Jane Acker, Board Secretary
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