AACC Library Renovation Moving Forward

Renovations at the library at (AACC) are set to be completed in August, but college officials needed to make some last-minute budget modifications on Tuesday.

Construction for the $21.7-million renovation of the Truxal Library has been going since April of last year. The project will add 31,000 square feet to the facility, enlarging the building by 40 percent.

At Tuesday’s AACC Board of Trustees meeting, members approved an $810,000 budget adjustment to pay for additional work that came up during the design phase of the project.

Because the construction estimate came in more than $3 million under budget, the college can afford the additional work without stretching its purse, said AACC Vice President Melissa Beardmore.

The extra space will add some much-needed study room for students, Beardmore said.

“Right now there’s not a lot of space for students to meet for group work,” she said. “We've seen students meeting out in the parking lot or their cars. But this will provide a dedicated space for collaborative work.”

When completed, the expansion will provide 160 new computer stations, 15 new group study rooms, two teaching labs, a student lounge and a rain garden on the front lawn.

Beardmore said the renovation will also bring the aging building up to modern standards. The library was built in 1967 and named after its first president, Andrew G. Truxal. Since its construction, it has only received a partial renovation in 1985.

Over the summer, the library’s thousands of books were transferred to a nearby modular building in the tennis courts while construction crews tear down walls to make room for the new, expanded facility.

The renovated library is set to open in August 2012, in time for fall classes.

Truxal Library expansion fact sheet:

ARCHITECTS: Ewing Cole Architects

CONTRACTOR: Hess Construction & Engineering

ESTIMATED COST:  $21.7 million

- Design/preconstruction: $1.7 million

- Construction: $17.2 million

- Furniture and equipment: $2.8 million

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Renovate the three-story 43,750-square-foot facility built in 1967 and partially renovated in 1985; construct a 31,330-square-foot addition that will:

• Provide 161 additional computer stations.
• Create 18 (an increase of 15) group study rooms with technology to allow students to develop and practice presentations in a group setting and work collaboratively on projects.
• Equip work/study tables that facilitate collaborative learning with technology.
• Add two teaching labs to allow librarians to work with students on research projects.
•  Add a student lounge with vending area.
• Provide enhanced quiet study space.
• Add a green roof and rain gardens.
• Allow the college to seek a LEED silver rating for the renovation and addition, making the library – if approved – the first LEED-certified AACC building.
• Upgrade heating, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical, safety and security systems, replace windows with energy-efficient windows.
• Renovate restrooms in original building to meet ADA requirements.
• Replace and relocate the elevator to a more central location.
• Enhance external entrances.

PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE

March 21-27 2011 – Move the Computer Technology Learning Center, the math lab, reading lab, reading offices and tutoring center to Annex A; moving the writing center and Honors Center to Annex B; bring online three temporary classroom buildings in Parking Lot E; fence construction site.

April 2011 – Construction begins.

July 2011 – Move the collection of more than 140,000 books, more than 200 periodicals and an audiovisual collection of about 10,000 items, all furniture and computer equipment and library staff to large modular building on campus.

August 2012 – All services, resources and staff return to library in time for start of fall classes.