Urbandale Public Library's $5,000 Carpet Consultation

Library Trustees have to decide whether they should spend an estimated $5,000 on a consultant to oversee the . Or should they just accept bids from carpet installation firms?

“Is this going to slow things down and make it harder to pay if we have to pay somebody to tell us how to do it?” Trustee Tom Graves asked in a Monday board meeting..

Library Director Julie Wells told the trustees this week that FEH Associates, Inc. could oversee the carpet project; provide guidance on how the project should be approached and ideas on carpeting.

“We have to move the collection out to put down the carpet, to select the carpet and figure out how we want to come at the whole process,” Wells said. “They would just kind of guide use through it.”

If the firm is approved by the trustees, they would also provide the carpet costs and oversee the project, Wells said

“As soon as we get the numbers from them we can evaluate the consultant fees and decide if we want to use them,” said Trustee Mark Zlab.

Graves said he is worried about rising carpet prices.

The issue will be discussed next month.