Approved 6 years ago, is completion finally in sight for Fort Worth’s newest library?
Golden Triangle Library, mired by construction delays, may finally be open to the public this summer.
Originally scheduled to open in June 2018, the library’s grand opening was pushed back to 2019 and then early 2020. After firing the contractor, city officials this week said they’re confident the building at 4264 Golden Triangle Blvd. will be done by May with the library open for business a few months after that. They’re hopeful the cost won’t change.
It’s been a long time coming for residents of far north Fort Worth, said Phyllis Grissom. She’s the chairwoman of the Library Advisory Board and has lived north of Loop 820 for 10 years.
In that time the area has been flooded with new residents, she said. The library branch offers a public place for them to get to know each other.
“I think this is an important part of building the community here,” Grissom said. “There are a lot of new families here and they’re looking for a place to gather. They’re looking for something to do.”
Fort Worth voters approved the library in 2014. In September the Star-Telegram reported that more than a third of those projects, including the library, remained unfinished.
Finishing the library has been a struggle.
Garland-based Denco Construction Specialists was the low bid contractor in 2017. The Star-Telegram reported in June 2018 that city inspectors found less than satisfactory work and required the contractor to redo parts of the project.
The library was behind schedule almost from the beginning, said Steve Cooke, the city’s property management director. The city attempted to help the contractor and expedite the schedule by setting up meetings with the architect, Chicago-based Perkins and Will. A city inspector was on site almost daily, Cooke said.
By October it became obvious the work would not be done soon enough, he said. So the city ended its contract with Denco, opting for a new one with Mark IV Construction Group in October.
Cooke said construction costs should not exceed the budgeted $9.125 million. The city withheld money from the contractor and assessed damages of more than $100,000 for falling behind schedule, he said.
When it comes to city buildings, Cooke said it is rare for contractors to have trouble with projects. In the last four years, the city has ended three contracts out of roughly 60.
Golden Triangle Library
Golden Triangle will be the first library opened in Fort Worth in 10 years, library director Manya Shorr said.
In that time, libraries have changed, she said, from a place where people go just to check out a book to something more complex.
“Our focus is now being a community center, a place where people come together and learn on their own,” she said.
The 15,000-square-foot Golden Triangle Library will have more than 50,000 books, DVDs, CDs and other materials, but it will also have robust open space, she said. A community room can be divided in half and be rented for birthdays, neighborhood meetings or classes. A smaller traditional conference room is also available.
The library will have a large “makerspace” where science and technology classes will be available. It will include a 3D printer and other technology, she said.
“We want to use it as a space to get down and dirty with learning,” Shorr said. “Where kids, and adults too, can learn about architecture, art, engineering, so many things.”
The library will also feature public art from DFW artist Sara Lovas. Concepts on her website show figures emerging from a sculpted bronze stack of books and climbing across bookshelves
The city’s library system is significantly behind Fort Worth’s population, Shorr said. The growth could support at least 10 more libraries, she said.
At least two other libraries will open in coming years.
In east Fort Worth, the first Fort Worth Public Library designed specifically for children and their caregivers is in the works at 3851 E. Lancaster Ave in the Meadowbrook area. Ground breaking for the $5.5 million, 8,000-square foot Reby Cary Youth Library is scheduled for March 21. The city expects construction to take nine months to a year.
A library is planned in far southwest Fort Worth at the corner of McCart and Risinger. Voters approved it in the 2018 bond election, and the city is selecting an architect.
Shorr said the library’s long term strategy to keep up with the growing population is to look to non-traditional library locations, like in a strip mall, next to grocery store or attached to a fire station.
“We need to think about creative ways to adapt to our growth and put the library where people are already going,” she said.
