This project will provide the Silver Spring community with a new library located within the CBD. The new library will be approximately 63,000 gross square feet in size and is intended to meet the unique requirements of an increasingly urban, ethnically and culturally diverse residential and business community. A site selection committee was formed in January of 2001 to recommend a potential site that meets an established set of criteria. The CIP includes planning and construction money for this project. Montgomery County has prepared an RFP to solicit interest from developers interested in constructing a residential project adjacent to the future library. The project will also include an art gallery. The project will be a LEED Silver building. The State has also expressed an interest in incorporating a Purple Line station into this project.
Location: Wayne Ave & Fenton St
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Project documents were issued for bid in August 2012. The bid period is about 30 to 45 days. Bids were received from the pre-qualified contractors on November 7, 2012 and the lowest bids were within budget. The contract was awarded to Costello Construction, the lowest bidder. The County’s procedural issues (checking insurance and bond information) was completed prior to signing the contract and issuing the notice to proceed. The building construction started shortly thereafter, January 7, 2013.
Construction is planned to last 22 months followed by up to 8 weeks for the Library to actually move in all the books and media collections
The construction of the project was divided into two phases; the first was the utility relocation work, followed by the actual construction of the building. This allowed us to get a head start on the construction by completing the utility relocation while we continued to design and document the building.
The utility relocation work is now complete; The County has relocated both the storm and sanitary sewers and has built conduit under the roadway for the “dry” utilities to relocate their cables from the telephone poles along Wayne Ave. The utility companies, Pepco, Verizon and Comcast, have finished relocating their cables.
Fenton Street has been repaved and the parking meters have been reinstalled along Bonifant Street. The construction drawings were submitted to the Department of Permitting Services for review in April 2012 and we have a building permit.
The county conducted a pre-qualification review of general contractors interested in bidding on the project, through the County’s REOI process (Request for Expression of Interest). This was completed and 8 contractors were pre-qualified and were eligible to bid on the project. The County Council has approved $69,529,000 for the entire project which includes the purchase of the land, utility relocation and upgrades, actual building construction, furniture and equipment, security, telephone systems and computers, new books and media, and consultant fees, permit costs.
The funding comes from G.O. Bonds, General Revenue, and Pay-go and State grants.
www.x-classrealtors.com
