After months of delays, Palmer library demolition and design approval expected soon
The library has been closed since the roof collapsed under heavy snow in early 2023.
What you need to know:
- Demolition of the damaged Palmer Public Library is set to begin soon, with plans and a budget going to the City Council for approval before the end of the year, officials said.
- The new 18,000-square-foot library is expected to be completed by summer 2026, with a projected cost of $15 million. Current plans include features such as a teen room, outdoor balcony, and meeting spaces.
- The roof of the old library building collapsed under a heavy snowload early last year. The new building will be funded through a combination of sources, including grants and voter-approved bonds.
PALMER — After months of delays, demolition of the Palmer Public Library building is set to begin soon, with plans to send designs and a budget to the City Council for approval before the end of the year, Palmer Manager Stephen Jellie said Friday.
The library has been closed since the roof collapsed under heavy snow in early 2023. A partial demolition took place last year. A temporary library is on Arctic Avenue.
Jellie said the city plans to release a request for proposals for a demolition contractor this week, with work to start and complete before the end of the month. He expects the council to approve the library's budget and overall design by early December, with Wolf Architecture presenting its latest markup as part of that process.
The new library is targeted for completion by summer 2026, officials said.
The project is estimated to cost about $15 million and will replace the old 12,000-square-foot structure with an 18,000-square-foot, two-story building. It will be paid for through a combination of grants, donations, state and federal funds, an insurance payout on the old structure, and the sale of bonds approved by voters last year.
Originally slated for demolition this summer, the delay is largely linked to a contentious debate over the size and cost of the design. In April, the council voted 4-3 to reject a proposal to cap the budget at $10 million, which would have covered about 14,000 square feet. The city ultimately instructed Wolf Architecture officials to keep the budget at $15 million.
The current 18,000-square-foot design includes an outdoor balcony, a teen room and several meeting rooms, including one that can accommodate up to 60 people, architect Gary Wolf told the council during a design presentation in June.
“It’s been a little more difficult coming up with not the plan, but actually the aesthetic of it,” he said. “What we’ve learned is that everybody has a different idea of what makes Palmer, Palmer.”
An insurance settlement process for the old building is also ongoing, Jellie said, and an adjuster most recently visited the site in late September.
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at abushatz@matsusentinel.com
