More than 80 persons heard plans and saw conceptual drawings of plans for a proposed $5 million expansion of the Jefferson public library at a joint meeting of the Jefferson public library board of trustees and the Jefferson city council.
Studio Melee of West Des Moines was hired to design the project. Architects Curtis Ehler and Chris Wernimont, and industrial designer Sophia Memmer, of Studio Melee attended the meeting.
Ehler explained that after conversations with many stakeholders, site access, entrances, parking drop off and wayfinding, accessibility, space for updated technology, adequate program space (particularly for teens), staff work areas, and adequate space for collections, updated restrooms, and historic integrity and respect for the original Carnegie building were identified as priorities.
“We wanted to design something that would feel new and fresh and modern but was not going to detract or take away from the Carnegie and some of the historic (elements) that it has,” Ehler said. “In many ways, we’ve tried to give some of those features back.”
Ehler said the architects started with the $4 million cost named in the request for proposals and worked from that. A study done in 2025 identified $4 million as the maximum amount that could be raised for the expansion project.
Ehler said their goal was to present an option that was feasible for the community.
Wernimont presented renderings. “The ultimate goal was to preserve the Carnegie as much as possible and let the addition be the backdrop to the whole building,” he explained during his introduction.
The building will have a “Z” configuration, with the addition being primarily an upper level over a portion of the 1960s building. The main entry will be from the parking lot north of the building, with computers for adult use in the foyer. The adult collection will be on that level. A half-flight of stairs will take patrons to the meeting space in the Carnegie building, and a second half-flight of stairs will go the upper level children/teens department.
The main level will include two study rooms. Shelves will be only shoulder height for better sight lines. An elevator will provide access to all levels. A secondary stairway on the northwest will be primarily for staff use and to provide another egress in the event of fire.
The original façade of the Carnegie building will be restored, allowing for entrance off Lincoln Way for functions there when the library is closed. The interior space will be open for flexibility. A permanent space for the Friends of the Library book sale will be on the north side of the Carnegie building.
The David Williamson metal sculptures will still be displayed on the south side of the building. The concept renderings call for windows to be installed on that end of the 1960s building, not only providing more daylight, but also providing a new vantage point for the sculptures.
A study prepared by Amperage Marketing last year found there to be potential to raise $4 million for a library expansion project.
Construction cost based on square footage is estimated at $4.1 million. Finishers/fixtures/equipment (FF&E) is estimated at $375,000. Adding $200,000 for contingencies and $325,000 for design costs (based on 8 percent of construction cost) brings the total project to $5.1 million. If some the original shelving and other items can be used, the cost could be a bit lower, Ehler said.
“Reflecting on the needs and the future value that’s going to be given to the library, we tried to stay in a range around there ($4 million). Construction costs landed pretty close to that $4 million number,” Ehler said.
Wernimont said the cost per square foot is higher on smaller projects and gets lower as the size of the project increases. He said that “in wrestling through the program, losing one-fifth of the budget lost more than one-fifth of the program, in our opinion, making the sense of the project greatly diminished because you lose so much of the primary needs that need fulfilled.”
He said the library board building committee worked with the architects on reducing costs, and the final design “checked a lot of boxes, and it resulted in being a little bit over the cost. That’s where we’re at.”
The Carnegie building has a little less 4,000 square feet total, the 1960 addition is about 4,000 square feet, and the proposed expansion is 4,100 square feet.
A Q & A period followed the presentation. Library director Jane Millard said the collection of books will not expand, nor will the number of computers, but space for programming, particularly for children and teens, will increase.
To a question about whether the library would be closed during construction, Ehler said there are options including moving library services to another location or providing reduced services from portions of the building.
The full presentation, including the Q & A portion, was live-streamed and recorded by Sebourn Video & Drone Services. It is available on the city’s Facebook page.
Presentation boards of the project are on display at the municipal building. GreeneCountyNewsOnline requested digital copies of the boards; Studio Melee provided only two exterior views (above).
Below are GCNO photos of some of the boards. The presentation boards were prepared by Studio Melee and are the property of Studio Melee.
