Larkspur selects contractors for $12.7M library project

Larkspur is moving forward with a plan to build a new library.

The Larkspur City Council unanimously voted to give the city manager the authority to finalize a design-build contract with Alten Construction, a company based in Richmond, for the $12.7 million library and community space.

The council also adopted a resolution regarding naming rights of the new library and the corresponding community space, which would give the Commons Foundation, a donor group that raised money for the project, a voice in the discussion.

The city has a policy regarding plaques on small objects such as park benches, but it needs to adopt a policy on naming rights for different elements of a capital project, according to a staff report.

The name of the rooms and the library will evolve from a discussion between the donor group and the city, and will be reviewed and approved by the City Council.

“Tonight is the beginning of the reality,” Jeanne Friede, a representative of the Commons Foundation, said at the Dec. 13 council meeting. “There are lots of people where you could say we wouldn’t be here without them and that list is long.”

The building will be located at the Commons, a city-owned parcel at the corner of Rose Lane and Doherty Drive. The Commons Foundation, a nonprofit, has raised $5 million in donations. The city said it will receive a $1 million state-targeted grant and a $5.2 million state library grant.

“Holy cow, I can’t believe this is happening,” said Mayor Scot Candell, who thanked donors and the state for their contributions. “We wouldn’t be having this conversation if not for them.”

The new library, which will replace the old one at City Hall, will be 6,845 square feet and cost an estimated $8,865,000. The new community space will be about 1,655 square feet cost about $1.8 million. Other site work, including landscaping and parking, is estimated to cost $1.6 million. Furniture, fixtures and equipment add another $500,000 to the effort. The project might include additional meeting space, which could increase the price.

The tentative plan includes interior architecture, “flexible spaces” and both indoor and outdoor construction. There will be some efforts to refine pedestrian access on Doherty Drive, according to a staff report.

Alten will work with the architecture firm Noll & Tam of Berkeley.

“It’s important to note that we’re actually accepting the team tonight, not the design,” said Julian Skinner, public works director.

The council plans to return to approve a finalized contract.