Menasha library plans move to UWO Fox Cities Campus during $8 million to $9 million renovation
MENASHA — The Elisha D. Smith Public Library plans to close for five weeks starting May 25 so it can move temporarily to the Fox Cities Campus of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 1478 Midway Road.
The library would reopen at the Fox Cities Campus on July 1. It would remain there until December while the city completes an $8 million to $9 million renovation of the library at 440 First St.
Space constraints will prevent the library from moving its entire collection to the campus.
"We'll probably be less than 50%," Library Director Brian Kopetsky told The Post-Crescent, "so we'll grab the most popular items. The plus of the Fox Cities Campus is we can use some of the classrooms to do programming."
Library materials due back on May 25 or later will have the dates extended through the duration of the closure.
What happened to the previous arrangement?
Menasha previously said the library would move to suites 6 and 7 of the Menasha Marketplace at 1730 Appleton Road during the renovation at a cost not to exceed $200,000.
The space would have accommodated most of the library's collection, but Kopetsky said the suites needed upgrades to the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system that would have delayed the move to mid-August.
"It was a mutual agreement that it just wasn't going to work out on the timeline that we needed," he said.
The library's agreement with the Fox Cities Campus will come before the Common Council next week for final approval. The lease for the smaller space will cost $100,000, Kopetsky said, and the collection will be located in the student union.
Kopetsky said he sees opportunities for the library to partner with the Barlow Planetarium and Weis Earth Science Museum on programming.
Cost of renovation nudges higher while city's commitment holds
The renovation work at the existing library will begin in June and continue through the December. Kopetsky expects the library will reopen in mid-January.
Several months ago, when the renovation was accelerated due to strong interest from benefactors, the project was estimated to cost $8 million.
The latest estimate, according to the library's website, is $8.5 million to $9 million.
Kopetsky attributed the increase to a refinement of the plans and hard costs. Miron Construction has been hired as the construction manager.
"I still think that we're going to stay closer to $8 million," Kopetsky said.
The renovation will be funded by $3 million from Menasha taxpayers and the balance from fundraising.
Renovation will focus on the inside of the library
The library renovation will involve mostly interior improvements to accommodate more community gatherings and in-house programming.
The library currently has three meeting rooms and two conference rooms. In those five spaces, the library had more than 2,300 bookings last year.
The renovation will result in three study rooms, two conference rooms and five or six meeting rooms, including one capable of seating 150 people. The plan also includes an outdoor sitting and programming space.
"I'm really looking forward to the changes and how this is going to benefit our community," Kopetsky said.
The two-story library was built in 1969 and remodeled and expanded in 2003.
Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Menasha library plans move to UWO Fox Cities Campus during renovation
