Jasper Library Board hears background on 3 proposed sites

“Our files are about five feet deep,” Tom Schipp of the Ferdinand firm Universal Design Associates, told the Jasper Public Library Board members at the beginning of a special meeting held Thursday.

The special meeting was designed to bring all the members up to speed on the three proposed sites for the future of the Jasper Library.

Universal Design Associates has worked with the library since it began to explore options to update the existing location or build a new library in 2003.

Schipp and Gerald Schaeffer, also with the firm, were brought in for the special meeting Thursday to give the pros and cons of the three proposed sites; the current location at 1116 Main Street, a lot on South Newton across from Los Bravos, and the Hoosier Desk Building on Mill Street. They did not provide any cost estimates but did indicate what construction would likely lead to higher costs.

Schipp and Schaeffer began with the current location. Schipp explained the site was suitable to build a new one- or two-story building. They produced several general ideas for the site based around a 28,000 square foot building — compared to the current 11,000 square foot building — recommended by the volunteer building committee earlier this year.

The lot the library is currently located on is about 47,000 square feet. A 28,000 square foot single-story building with parking would consume the entire lot. A two-story building would leave more room for parking but would have to be about 30,000 square feet in size to accommodate stairs and additional facilities for each level, Schipp explained to the board.

The pair also presented an older idea of a 31,400 square foot building that took up two city blocks and would have closed 12th Street between Jackson and Main. The design called for the library purchasing eight properties and although Schipp felt it would become a great addition to the city, he acknowledged it would be costly.

In regards to the South Newton site, Schipp explained the firm had tested the soil of the proposed site in 2010 and 2011, however the newly proposed site is further north. The 2011 plan called for the building to be built on a slightly elevated area with bedrock about 5 and a half to 6 feet underneath. The new site is partially on this elevated area but the majority is in a low-lying area to the north and bedrock in that area is about 20 feet deep. Schipp explained it would be more difficult for construction of a building on that soil but he indicated the library could be positioned on the higher portion and a parking lot on the lower area

As far as the Hoosier Desk building is concerned, Schipp and Schaeffer explained they had only conducted a brief walk-through of the three-story portion of the building. On that note, they explained the age of the building and the dryness of the timber framing created concerns for the combustibility of the structure if they would be adding even more combustible materials like books.

Due to those concerns, when the area was under consideration, the firm proposed a building located on the parking lot in front of the Schaeffer Barn. The owners balked at the idea due to the amount of the lot the new building would encompass.

The library board is more interested in the one-story portion of the Hoosier Desk building. During the process for the site proposals, the building committee heard the Jasper Community Arts Commission would be interested in potentially sharing the space. Schaeffer and Schipp have not toured that area but they did point out that the state was becoming more restrictive on the process of re-purposing buildings in regards to code.

“If you were going to start a factory in there (Hoosier Desk) you could open tomorrow,” Schipp said. “It’s just an involved process and it takes time to work through. I’m not saying we couldn’t get the building to work, but it may be kind of cost prohibitive on some of these things.”

The board has a scheduled walk-through of the Hoosier Desk building this Saturday at 8 a.m.

The library board will continue the discussion about the future of the library at the next regular meeting next Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at the Dubois Brand Library.