Palmer council will vote on $960,509 more for new library's second floor and kitchen

The Palmer City Council will vote Tuesday on adding $960,509 to the contract for the new Palmer Public Library, mostly to finish about 2,000 square feet of unfinished second-floor space and expand the kitchen next to the main meeting room.

The library is being rebuilt from the ground up. Part of the old building's roof collapsed in February 2023, and the city, judging it unsuitable for repair, demolished it in July 2025. H5 Construction won the job that October as the low bidder, at $12.08 million.

The change order would raise H5's contract to about $13.1 million, counting an earlier $87,000 change for data cabling and security cameras. That's still below the $16 million the council authorized in 2024.

Palmer shoppers are helping pay for it. The council raised the city sales tax from 3% to 4% starting April 1 to help fund the library, and the extra 1% is expected to bring in $3.2 million next year.

Finishing the second floor would cost about $550,000 and the kitchen about $227,000. The kitchen would serve library programs, community events and room rentals, according to a memo submitted for Library Director Joy Bailey. The rest would pay for more shelving, shades to protect materials from sun damage and testing of soil, asphalt, concrete and steel.

The city administration recommends approval. Doing the work now is expected to cost less than a separate project later, "when labor and material costs may be higher," the memo says, and avoids construction in an occupied public building.

The council meets at 6 pm Tuesday at City Hall.