$3.7 million upgrades of Carnegie Library in Manitou Springs get resident, city approval

Apr. 12—Plans to expand and remodel the more than century-old Carnegie Library in Manitou Springs received official city approval earlier this month, bringing the long-awaited project another step closer to completion.

After the Manitou Springs City Council unanimously approved the library's development plan in March, the city's Historic Preservation Commission greenlit the library's Material Change of Appearance Certification on April 5.

The library's design is intended to be more accessible and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as well as accommodate a population that has grown around 4,000 since the library opened in 1911; expansions are planned to increase the facility's square footage by 85%, project documents show.

The approval comes after three years of community meetings and public hearings and collaboration between city staff, boards, volunteers and the resident group Preserve and Renew Our Carnegie Library Task Force, according to a news release.

"The city can now move expeditiously to groundbreaking, construction, and ribbon cutting, thereby achieving unprecedented access to enrichment and growth for all our citizens, as well as visitors to our lovely city," said Mary Pulvermacher, a member of the task force.

Funded by 19th-century steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the library is one of 30 Carnegie buildings constructed in Colorado, about 18 of which still operate as libraries, according to previous reporting by The Gazette. In January 2013, the library joined the Pikes Peak Library District.

But library operations were halted and moved from the building following a civil rights complaint filed in March 2020 because the historic building is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination based on disability. Library services are now open in the Manitou Art Center.

As a result, the first of two renovation components will be a two-story addition south of the main library that will include an ADA-compliant lift, according to the project documents.

One larger, one-story addition to the west side of the original library is expected to feature library services, study rooms and a rooftop patio.

"By designing the addition as a garden-level, the architects were able to ensure that the main library will remain prominent on the site, which is important from a Historic Preservation perspective," documents state.

City staff told council members in March that five trees — three silver maples and two ponderosa pines — will have to be removed, but that they are seeking ways to repurpose the wood, such as for new benches or art pieces. Measures will also be taken to protect remaining trees on the roughly 0.8-acre lot during construction and find species to replant.

The project's total cost is estimated to be $3.7 million, documents show. So far, it is about halfway funded with $1.8 million secured.

According to the release, current funding is composed of private and city funding as well as a 0.3% sales tax approved by voters in 2019 to fund arts, culture and heritage.

Manitou Springs is "actively seeking grants, further private funding and other funding methods" to cover the rest of the cost, the city said.

The city's selection team chose Ratio Architects for the local project in April 2021 based on the firm's "broad experience in historical and modern library updates, renovations, expansions and new builds; specialized library understanding and experience; and demonstrated strong understanding of the Manitou Springs Carnegie Library building," according to past Gazette coverage.

Ratio Architects has completed various library projects in Colorado, a corporate brochure shows. They include construction of the Pikes Peak Library District's High Prairie Branch Library in Falcon, the Lyons Community Library in Lyons, the Green Valley Ranch Library in Denver and the Carbondale Branch Library in Carbondale, among others.

The final design must now be submitted to the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, the release said, and Manitou Springs must next submit a request for proposals to receive construction bids.