Changes mulled to public artwork, fire truck display in 60,000-square-foot building rising on North Main; window glass being installed

by Ian Bauer

City officials say the $39-million Milpitas Public Library is more than halfway complete, and is on schedule to open to the public on North Main Street by January.

Steve Erickson, the project manager, told Milpitas City Council March 4 that construction crews are installing window glass, curtain walls and completing more exterior finishing work on the 60,000-square-foot library at 160 N. Main St.

In addition, crews also completed installation of a tensile fabric roof over the library's courtyard, and metal stairways. He added mechanical, electrical and plumbing work is still underway.

"The total (library) budget was $39 million; we've expended just over $16.5 million to date," Erickson said, adding the library is on budget. "The project is 57 percent complete to date."

He said the library's Redwood City-based contractor, S.J. Amoroso Construction Co., was also on schedule, with library construction expected for completion by December.

"He's used nine rain days to date and there's an 11 rain day contingency remaining," Erickson said.

During the meeting, two matters regarding planned library artwork and a historic Milpitas fire truck were brought forward for further council discussion.

The first included the public artwork known as "Terrapedia" envisioned as a colossal book that rises out of

the library's concrete plaza, with edges of the pages carved from variegated layers of white limestone, resembling the torn pages from old books. Water was supposed to trickle from the underside of the binding down layers of page edges.

However, Erickson suggested San Francisco artist Brian Goggin, the sculpture's creator, was now reconsidering including the water feature and lighting for the sculpture "due to constructability and ongoing maintenance."

"All other aspects of the project would remain the same," Erickson added.

Vice Mayor Bob Livengood, who sits on the city's library subcommittee with Mayor Esteves, said he wanted the rest of the council to be clear on the proposed changes to the sculpture they approved in December.

Livengood also wanted to know what the cost implications would be for a changed sculpture.

"(The artist) tried to reduce these things in an effort to reduce some of the cost and to allow completion within the library project schedule," Erickson said, adding new artist drawings had not been submitted to the city.

Livengood requested that as soon as new artist drawings for the sculpture become available, that they be shown to the council.

Leapin' Lena

Another issue the council addressed regarded problems locating the historic fire truck Leapin' Lena at the library's adjacent parking garage. An initial plan to display the truck involved a short railing that would encircle the vehicle within the garage.

"Once we started moving forward with this concept we determined that there were problems with liability concerns," Erickson said.

He added the city wanted the Milpitas Historical Society, the truck's owner, to provide general liability insurance.

But he said the historical society told the city they could not afford the insurance, and that the group was also concerned about theft and vandalism to the truck. He added an idea to surround the fire truck with a chain link fence or cage was considered, but abandoned due to aesthetics.

Erickson said staff is looking at displaying Leapin' Lena inside a 1920s-era garage at the Jose Maria Alviso Adobe site once the site is completely renovated and restored.

"So creation of a display within the project at this time would be feasible," Erickson said.

The city is still trying to amass $8 million in funds needed to restore the Alviso Adobe, which dates to 1830.

Mayor Esteves said the historical society representatives told him they wanted the issue of deciding on a location for the truck deferred.

"They said they would like to help in exploring more alternatives, more options, to have the fire truck right at the parking garage," Esteves said. "I think that there are no timing issues, so I would like to support that as well."

Council members were still concerned about available space at the garage, and security for the fire truck.

Vice Mayor Livengood said he was initially supportive of having Leapin' Lena at the parking garage.

"But as time has gone on here we've come up with so many problems associated with that," he said.

Livengood added that he did not like ideas of a fence or other enclosure at the library because "that just doesn't fit."

The vice mayor also balked at other security options for the fire truck, including ones that used glass or plastic enclosures.

"My concern... is anytime you get a solid surface around that thing, you've got issues relating to somebody writing on it, somebody scratching it and all of sudden it becomes unsightly," Livengood said.

Later, he maintained that he preferred the original concept to have a short fenced railing surrounding the vehicle.

"Because you could still see the fire truck, and you'd keep people ostensibly away from it," Livengood said.

"But the more I look at the options available, the less they seem palatable for this location...I don't want to see the truck get vandalized," he added.

In the end, the council voted unanimously to accept the report and defer the options for the fire truck until the council's April 1 meeting.

As part of the approval, the city will pay SCS Engineers an additional $50,000 to the city's initial $345,000 contract agreement with the firm.

According to Erickson, the extra work includes performing more soil tests and ground water investigations to comply with a request from the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health. The Long Beach-based firm will also perform consulting services regarding lead-based paint removal at the historic Milpitas Grammar School, around which the new library is rising.

Streetscape improvements

In addition to the library, Erickson said the related $8-million North Main Street streetscape improvement is progressing.

He added work includes installation of new landscape, streetlights and traffic signals as well as improvements made near the state Route 237 offramp along North Main Street toward Weller Lane.

"We've expended just over $2.5 million to date, and have just under $3 million remaining, which will be used for the second phase of the project that will be started later this summer," Erickson said. "The project is 75 percent complete so we're on budget and on schedule."

City reports state phase one of the North Main streetscape work will be completed by August. Phase two, which continues much of the same work, will bid soon.

"We will be looking at bidding this project in the next month or so, and its completion will be in spring 2009," Erickson said.