Architect hired for Decatur Public Library renovation

The City of Decatur picked an architect to author the renovation of the Decatur Public Library Monday night.

Decatur council members approved a contract with Dallas-based architecture firm Brown Reynolds Watford (BRW) Architects 6-0, moving forward with the $942,000 project to renovate the library built in 1988.

“There have been very limited updates to the library since then,” said Decatur City Manager Nate Mara. “The renovations include a fire suppression system, which the building doesn’t currently have, some changes to meet ADA requirements and general modernization.”

According to the contract, the city will pay BRW Architects a $71,250 fee for basic services and up to $35,850 for additional services.

Those additional services include a topographic survey, civil engineering, fire protection design, landscape and irrigation design, fabric shade design and structural foundation repairs.

The library renovation project is part of the $33.6 million in capital improvements from 2021 that also include improvements to water and wastewater systems and the construction of a new police building.

At the time, the proposed library improvements entailed expanding the children’s section, adding three study rooms and a small storage room, renovations to the restrooms and kitchen and removing a wall between the work room and board room to create one larger space.

Mara said a clearer picture of the cost and scope of work will take shape with the hiring of the architecture firm.

“Architectural services is the first step to get the ball moving,” Mara said. “Similar to the police station, you’re not going to see the firm numbers for renovations until you get the architect on board.”

The council also approved a purchase agreement with Saltus Technologies for an electronic citation system for the Decatur Police Department. The agreement includes $39,400 for the first year and $25,542 in fees for maintenance, support and hosting in the following four years.

The electronic citation system, called digiTICKET, will be paired with the city’s $341,982 investment to upgrade its computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. The new CAD system, through Computer Information Systems, is funded through American Rescue Act Plan funds. The system is expected to streamline dispatch and record-keeping between the police and fire departments.

In other business, the council denied a proposed zoning change that would have brought in a coffee shop near Valcik Street and U.S. Business 380. After tabling action on the item at its Feb. 27 meeting due to lacking the super majority required to overrule the planning and zoning commission, which recommended denial, the council voted 4-0 to deny the zoning and land use change. Council members Eddie Allen and Jake Hayes abstained from the vote.