The Great Falls Public Library Foundation is preparing to launch its fundraising campaign to raise an initial target of $13 million to remodel the Great Falls Public Library.

The library is owned and operated by the City of Great Falls, with some financial support from Cascade County and the foundation.

The library remodel plan has grown out of the 2022 master plan, that was developed through a roughly year’s long public outreach process.

Now, the foundation, library board and city officials are developing a letter of agreement to guide their collaboration and delineate their roles in the project.

The library board approved the draft agreement during their Sept. 23 meeting with the plan to revisit it during their Oct. 28 meeting if the city made changes.

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During their Oct. 7 work session, Brianne Laurin, library foundation director, updated City Commissioners on plans for the remodel and fundraising.

The library foundation is spearheading the campaign to raise the targeted $13 million. It and the library staff are not requesting funding from the city nor will taxpayer funds be used toward that construction project.

Some of the design highlights, Laurin told commissioners, include shifting the pickup window from the alley to the east side of the building, moving the entryway over two bays, adding windows to the back of the building for natural light and allowing staff to see Library Park and limit unwanted behavior in that area.

The curved stairs by the circulation desk will remain and be continued through the buildings floors, but space around them will be shifted to be more efficient.

Staircase rendering by Cushing Terrell, story continues below.

The Cordingley Room, which is in the basement, will be moved to the main level, allowing for greater accessibility for those attending events.

The upper level will hold the kids and teens area and the third level will hold all nonfiction and adult computers, as well as office space.

The basement level will include dedicated book sale space, compact storage and the genealogy section.

Laurin and commissioners discussed the draft agreement that outlines the partnership between the foundation, library and city for the remodel effort, which will be funded through fundraising and won’t go out for construction bids until the money is in hand, Laurin said.

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She said the agreement letter is a signal to prospective donors and grant agencies that the city, library and foundation are aligned in the project.

Laurin said the foundation is entering what they call the leadership phase of the campaign, with their team working to secure gifts and grants from foundations and similar entities.

The public phase of fundraising likely won’t start for another 18 months, she said.

City Manager Greg Doyon said commissioners needed to ask any questions they had during the work session so they could be addressed before it’s brought to them on their regular agenda for consideration.

Commissioner Susan Wolff said she wanted to see a final version at a work session before putting the agreement on the regular agenda.

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“I’m very excited about this,” she said. “We’re all humans, we’re social beings, the library is noted as a third space” for people to come together.

She said she liked the added natural light and community spaces and that the new layout limited hidden spaces.

“I think this is a space that’s going to be used a lot in the upcoming years,” Wolff said.

Commissioner Joe McKenney asked how the foundation came to the decision that the remodel was needed and decided to do it.

Laurin explained the master plan process that included community outreach through surveys, group meetings and more.

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The city commission awarded the consultant contract for that plan was issued in January 2022, McKenney’s second meeting as a commission. The vote was unanimous and no questions were asked about the contract.

The library board adopted the master plan in September 2022.

In October 2022, library and foundation officials presented the master plan, the proposed renovation and request for the operations levy.

Commissioner Rick Tryon said, “I appreciate that you guys have done your homework on this and done your due diligence,” but thought some tweaks were needed in the agreement.

He asked if there would be more operational costs as a result of the remodel since operational costs are funded publicly.

Laurin said they hadn’t gone through technical data yet on projected savings, but the remodel includes upgraded lighting and windows, heating and cooling systems. She said those are likely to result in greater efficiency and energy savings.

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The remodel doesn’t expand the building, but uses existing space better, Laurin said.

The air handler is original to the building, so Laurin said upgrading that system is expected to make an “incredible difference” in energy efficiency.

Tryon asked who would be responsible for any litigation that might arise from construction since the city has to issue the contract as the library is a city owned building.

Laurin said she was working with City Attorney David Dennis on some clarifications in the agreement, but that it was intended to keep the project moving forward for the next 18 months, at which point there would be a more formal memorandum of understanding to outline the construction process.

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Laurin said this iteration of the agreement is similar to what was used when the city approved the Cushing Terrell contract for the design of the remodel. That contract was also funded by the foundation.

Commissioner Shannon Wilson said, “I’ve loved this library ever since I was a young girl. I appreciate the effort that went into this design.”

The library board discussed the remodel project and partnership agreement during their Sept. 23 meeting.

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Laurin said that having the vote of confidence from the library board supporting the foundation’s fundraising effort while applying for grants “is really instrumental in successful fundraising.”

Noelle Johnson, library board member, said she wanted to wait on the remodel plans until a new director was hired and get public input.

Jessica Crist, library board member, said they already did that and “most of us feel pretty clear this is the direction we want to go. I’m not sitting around waiting for someone to come in and give us direction.”

Johnson said she wasn’t opposed to the project but thought they should pause it while in the process of hiring a new director.

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Laurin said the foundation had initiated exploring fundraising for the remodel following the library’s strategic plan and discussed “are we just going to do bookathons or provide transformative partnership?”

Susie McIntyre, library director who is retiring by the end of the year, said the master plan process and remodel grew out of community feedback.

“This is just a continuation of things that the board has already said,” she said and approving the partnership agreement gives direction to the next director of board priorities.

“We’ve got direction, we’ve got momentum,” Crist said. “This is something that many of us have been committed to for a number of years.”

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Laurin said, “we’re not trying to do anything crazy and we’re not adding to our footprint, just better utilizing our space.”

McIntyre said she’s heard for years the commission talk about deferred maintenance and that she believed they’d support the library taking care of the building “so it’s not the next Natatorium” or falling ceiling tiles in the Mansfield Theater.

During the library board’s Aug. 26 meeting, Tony Houtz of Cushing Terrell presented an update on the proposed remodel design.

He said there was a “lot of opportunity for creating wonder” and space in the library, which was under construction in 1966 and opened in 1967, with few changes since.

Society has changed, but Houtz said the “need and the value if really similar,” of what the library means to the community.

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Houtz said the 2022 plan reviewed building integrity and maintenance, life safety/code/accessibility, existing technology/relevance, size and quality benchmarks, staffing and operational efficiencies/costs plus community input.

The consulting company that did the master plan didn’t win the design contract bid and Cushing Terrell has followed many of the plans recommendations, but adjusted as needed to serve the community, Houtz said.

“This building has served the community very well for 60 years,” he said, and they want to be smart with every dollar spent on the remodel so it continues to serve the community for another 60 years.

Library Park is a “community treasure,” Houtz said, and the design supports the park with a reinforced grass platform.

Since getting the current air handler out of the building from the third floor, requires removing it through the wall, so Houtz said while it’s open they can install windows.

The design maintains the existing staircase, but adds elevators to increase accessibility throughout the building.