Demolition work is set to begin in November on Wheaton Public Library’s one-story north wing in the first phase of the $20 million project to renovate and add about 46,000 square feet to the 74,000-square-foot building.
The expansion and renovation of the 40-year-old library, which have been discussed since 1999, were approved by Wheaton’s City Council this year and paid for by a $20 million bond issue. Now, with final construction drawings nearly completed, the city soon will solicit construction bids, said Assistant City Manager Michael Dzugan.
The council recently voted to allow four general contractors with experience building libraries to bid on the project. Chicago-based Bulley & Andrews LLC recently constructed libraries in Oak Park and Mt. Prospect, while Power Construction Co. of Schaumburg built one of Naperville’s libraries and Elmhurst’s recently completed library. Chicago-based Turner Special Projects constructed Schaumburg’s library and W.E. O’Neil Construction Co. of Chicago built Evanston’s library and another of Naperville’s libraries.
The work is expected to be awarded to one of the four contractors in October, and utility relocation will begin a week or so afterward. Demolition of the north wing should begin after that, said Library Director Sarah Meisels.
The library will remain open during the 20-month project, she said.
In the project’s first and second phases, the contractor will raze the north wing and replace it with a three-story addition. In later phases, the contractor will renovate the library’s interior, connect the addition to the rest of the building and complete all exterior work.
Exterior work will include landscaping across the Cross Street right of way just west of the library. The right of way will allow more space for the addition and more public outdoor areas, and will help the library’s campus blend in with Adams Park.
The construction and renovation will cost about $14.5 million, and other costs such as furnishings, architectural fees, engineering expenses and asbestos removal will drive the cost closer to $20 million, Dzugan said.
Some of the planned features include a larger children’s library, a much larger computer lab and a quiet reading area with a view of Adams Park, Meisels said. The library also will add a vending area, meeting rooms, conference rooms on all floors and a waiting area overlooking the library’s driveway.
