Palmer Council OKs library rebuild contract, nearly three years after collapse

What you need to know:

• The Palmer City Council approved a $12.08 million contract with H5 Construction to rebuild the city’s public library, which closed in early 2023 after a partial roof collapse.
• Construction on the new two-story, 20,000-square-foot facility is expected to begin next year and be completed by 2027.
• The project budget is up to $15.6 million. City officials plan to present financing options at a council meeting next month.

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PALMER — The Palmer City Council on Tuesday awarded a contract to rebuild the city’s public library nearly three years after the facility was shuttered due to a roof collapse.

The council unanimously approved a $12.08 million contract with Wasilla-based H5 Construction to build a two-story, 20,000-square-foot facility on the library’s downtown Palmer property.

Palmer-based Wolf Architecture created the design through a lengthy public process. It includes an outdoor balcony and a canopy over the building’s exit, according to bid documents.

While the initial contract is worth just over $12 million, city officials said they expect the contractor to request changes as the project moves forward. The council late last year approved a budget of up to $15.6 million.

City officials plan to present options for financing the facility at a meeting scheduled for next month, Palmer City Manager Kolby Zerkel said Tuesday.

Those options could include using the city’s existing cash or taking on debt, she said. Palmer voters approved up to $10 million in bonds for the project in 2023.

Construction on the facility is expected to start next year and will likely take 16 to 18 months, architect Gary Wolf told the council during a special meeting in May. It will likely be ready for use in 2027, he said.

The Palmer Public Library closed in early 2023 after a partial roof collapse caused major damage to the structure and portions of its collection.

The city reached a $4.7 million insurance settlement for the facility early this summer and demolished the structure in July.

A temporary library is operating out of a rented facility on Arctic Avenue, about a mile from the site of the previous library. Several design images depicting the new library building are available on the city's website.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com

This story was updated Nov. 7 to include newly available library design images.