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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: City Signs Construction Contract for Northgate Community Center, Library and Park Project
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
3/8/2005 4:00:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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City Signs Construction Contract for
Northgate Community Center, Library and Park Project
Seattle - Mayor Greg Nickels today announced that the City of Seattle has signed a contract with Absher Construction to build the Northgate Community Center, Library, and park project.
“This is a great day for Seattle and for the people who live and work in the Northgate neighborhood,” Nickels said. “This project is going to happen, and happen now, despite a series of setbacks that would have made other cities give up. It is a key step in our effort to build strong families and healthy communities in Seattle.”
The City received construction six bids for construction of the project. Four of the six were within the project construction budget. General Contractor Absher Construction submitted the low bid package of $8.07 million.
This is the second time the project has gone out to bid. Three proposals opened on July 15, 2004, were over the construction budget, in part due to a spike in the price of steel.
In the intervening months, Parks and the Library worked together with the designer, Miller/Hull Partnership, to find savings. In addition, Mayor Nickels proposed, and the City Council later approved, a one-time allocation of $1 million in the City’s 2005 budget for project construction.
Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Seattle Public Library will host a groundbreaking ceremony with the Mayor and the community on Saturday, March 19, to celebrate the start of construction. Work is scheduled to start later in March, and the project will be completed in mid-2006.
The project includes a 10,000-square-foot library, a 20,000-square-foot community center, and a 1.67-acre park. It will be built on the site of the Goodyear store (the former Bon Tire Center) at Fifth Avenue Northeast and Northeast 105th Street and on the commercial site one lot north. Two commercial buildings on the property will be demolished.
An adjacent Seattle Department of Transportation project will install street medians, sidewalks, and street trees in the first phase of improvements on Fifth Avenue Northeast between Northgate Way and Northeast 105th Street. A pedestrian promenade with an improved crosswalk will connect the community center and library with the Northgate Mall entrance.
The Miller/Hull Partnership designed the buildings and the park to create an urban gathering place for the community. The library will enjoy a prominent location along Fifth Avenue Northeast. The main reading space will face toward the park. The community center will stand on the south end of the site with a children's play area to the north that maximizes the park’s green space.
The project also will include artwork for the branch library designed by glass and metal artist Dana Lynn Louis of Portland, and artwork for the community center designed by Nikki McClure, a mixed-media artist from Olympia. The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs manages the public art program for the Library and Parks.
Funding for the new facilities comes from several sources. Voters in 1998 approved the Libraries for All bond measure, which included money to build a new library in Northgate. The branch will include a new collection capacity of 40,200 books and materials, reading and homework areas for children and youth, computers, instruction areas, and a meeting room.
In 1999, Seattle voters approved the Community Centers Levy, which included funding for a new community center in Northgate. The community center will offer activities such as teen camps, basketball leagues, classes, after-school programs, community meetings, and programs for seniors.
In 2000, Seattle voters approved the Pro Parks Levy, which included money for a new park in Northgate. The park will play an important part in addressing the open space needs of this densely developed neighborhood.
Get the mayor's inside view on initiatives to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm.
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Office of the Mayor
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