This was the second round of bidding for the General Trades Contract. Bids were previously accepted for all other contracts for this building project as follows:
• Plumbing  Prout Boiler, Heating & Welding, Inc., Youngstown $217,500
• Mechanical  York Mahoning Mechanical Contractors, Inc., Youngstown $159,100
• Fire Protection  Fire Foe Corporation, Girard $84,650
• Electrical  Geller Warden Electric, Inc., Canfield  $460,400
• Casework Interior Products Co., Cleveland $266,159

Project bids came in well under the expected amounts. The total of all bids was $3,608,301, which represents a savings of $701,964 over the original published estimate of $4,310,365 for base bids.

The project will begin next week and is expected to be complete in 10-12 months.

YOUNGSTOWN (May 17, 2007) – The Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County today unveiled designs for a new branch to be built on the corner of Market Street and Midlothian Boulevard. The new library, estimated to cost nearly $4.6 million, demonstrates The Library's commitment to the City of Youngstown.

At a news conference this morning, Carlton A. Sears, Library Director, said, “After months of planning and numerous meetings with various community groups both in and out of the city, it's exciting to be able to finally present the public with the vision for a major new library in our community.

“We're very enthusiastic about these designs. This library will sit at the gateway to the City. Given that, we felt an urban, contemporary look would be appropriate. We believe this branch will be widely used and our goal is to make it an inviting and welcoming facility.

“As with any library, it is important to recognize that the public library serves everyone.  We look to this library to become one of our most active branches and have planned within it the full complement of services we offer: meeting rooms, computers, large collections and a cafe.  The library even adds special space for teens and space to encourage early literacy. 

“As we move into the phase of making this a reality, we invite the community to join with us in an effort to make the most of this facility.  When the building is complete, people will find that there are many wonderful opportunities available to them at this new library.”

Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams expressed his support of The Library's project as important to the city and the Youngstown 2010 Plan.

Dr. David Ritchie, president of the Library's Board of Trustees, spoke about the Board's commitment to bring only the best in library service to the City of Youngstown with this project.

Sears pointed out a unique feature of the design: “The architects are to be commended for coming up with a design that utilizes light in an exciting way. The new library will literally be a beacon of light at the corner of Market Street and Midlothian Boulevard. Walls of glass and rooftop monitors allow natural light to permeate the building's interior. But these features do much more: when lit up at night, they will create the feel of a beacon that can be seen from a distance.” Sears noted that the roof of the library can be seen from as far away as the corner of Market Street and Route 224.

Even though this is an urban library, one priority was to create green space, rather than a sea of asphalt, in the parking area surrounding the new library. “The corner of Market and Midlothian is considered a priority node in the Youngstown 2010 land-use plan,” Sears says. “We are conscious of our role in revitalizing this important corner. One of our goals is to create a green space with trees and landscaped islands for an almost park-like feel.”

Sears notes that community input played a big part in the planning of this new branch. “We held several meetings to gather community input and we took the suggestions seriously. Along with adults, we enlisted teens to give their input at a design meeting held specifically for them, so that teens will be attracted to the area designed for them and feel comfortable in using their library.”

The Library purchased a 24,500-square-foot structure at 3730 Market St. from Giant Eagle in 2006. The Library is committed to turning this building into a beautiful, up-to-date facility. Arcitect Ronald Cornell Faniro says, “ This building will undergo a dramatic change both externally and internally to prepare the structure for the new use. It will literally be taken apart and put back together to suit The Library's needs, create a new image for the facility and define this corner as a gateway to the re-emerging city.

Among other features, the new building will include a Chapters Café with seating area, two meeting rooms, a children's area, teen area, computers with the latest technology and Internet access, audio/visual materials, and much more.

Unique to this library will be an Early Literacy area, which will go hand-in-hand with the Baby Brilliant program. “Studies have shown how important certain pre-literacy skills are when working with babies from birth to 5 years of age. Our Baby Brilliant programs help babies learn pre-literacy skills and demonstrate techniques to parents, teachers and caregivers to help babies become successful readers,” Sears says. “In this new branch, we have an opportunity to design a special area with books, toys and furnishings that can be used by families to bring Baby Brilliant to life. We are excited about this new area and the seeds for this idea came from input at our community meetings.”

The building will include 15,000 square feet of library space. The remaining areas of the building will house back-office operations such as library material processing and delivery.

Construction is expected to begin this fall and the project should be complete by late spring 2008.

The library's design is a collaborative effort of Ronald Cornell Faniro, Architects, AIA Inc., and their library design consultant, Meehan Architects of Cleveland, Ohio. Faniro's firm serves as the lead architect for the project with Meehan Architects being responsible for the library planning and interior design aspects of the project.

Library Trustees Accept General Trades Contract Bids for Market Street/Midlothian Boulevard Building Project