No longer. Design plans finally made it through a long community approval process, construction drawings have been created, and the site has been largely prepared for work to begin. On August 28, the county put the project up for bidding, and today, officials will be holding a “pre-bid” meeting for the eight contractors that have already completed a pre-qualification process.
The contractors are Clark Construction, Coakley & Williams Construction, Costello Construction, Donohoe Construction Company, Dustin Construction, Grunley Construction, Hess Construction, and Morgan-Keller Construction. The bid opening date is scheduled for October 2, but Lunsford says there’s a chance that date will be pushed back by a week or so if substantial new information arises as a result of today’s meeting. Lunsford and his colleague, Susanne Churchill, the senior architect project manager, swear they will award a contract soon after that. They’ll choose the lowest bidder and issue a “notice to proceed,” allowing work to begin around November.
It’s a bit of a tricky project, explains Churchill, which could cause obstacles. Being a county endeavor, the development includes a prevailing wage clause as well as a “minority, female, and disabled person” subcontracting requirement. It’s complicated structurally, too: the Purple Line train will eventually run through a portion of the building, and an atrium includes special smoke exhaust requirements. Design plans haven’t changed much in the past few months. A five-story building clad in cast stone that includes a glass curtain wall cantilevering over the Purple Line’s path, this new library will be almost four times bigger than the current one, which is the oldest library in Montgomery County’s system. Pyramid Atlantic art center will operate out of the first two floors, and the library—with expanded meeting spaces, a computer lab, and a larger children’s section—will take up the rest.
The project should be completed by fall of 2014.
Silver Spring, Maryland, real estate development news
9 comments:
The library doesn't "cantilever" over the path of the Purple Line. It bridges the future Purple Line. A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.
Thanks. But "cantilever" was the word used by Susanne Churchill, MoCo's senior architect project manager for the library project, so for now--without knowing more about the exact plans--we'll leave it there.
This is a cantilever. the prow is held by two supports, but it still cantilevers over the train. It's ugly, it's aggressive, but it is a cantilever.
I imagine this construction completion should line up quite well with the church lot across the street being redeveloped. I believe that site just had their final community meeting a week or two back.
The new library and the church site will be built before the new transit center is open.
Funny note: the next-to-last picture shows the concrete stamped with "Silver Springs" instead of "Silver Spring."
Is there an issue over here with space? Why take all the risk from a complex structure when there is plenty of other land here especially in light of the bus depot debacle. Why ask for any more trouble?
Unnecessary complications by the country and state make all projects harder and more costly than they have to be. A minority, female and handicapped clause? What does that even mean? From the state perspective: "make sure you have all of your 'diversity' boxes checked and that you are the lowest bidder and you'll get the contract." Never mind diversity of thought or opinion, just skin color and outward appearance.
Is it true that there will be a new 12 floor condominium building just behind the library?
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