VALDOSTA — Clemons Rutherford & Associates (CRA) was chosen by the library board as the firm that will lead the design team for the new main library branch that will be moving next to the new municipal auditorium at Five Points.

Lowndes County Commissioners will vote Tuesday on the selection.

“The selection committee felt that the firm that was selected was the most qualified for the project as well as had the lowest estimate,” said Chad McLeod, Lowndes County project manager.

Though the selection process for agencies was directed by Lowndes County, the library board had input in the selection.

“The process to build the library began nearly three years ago at the county’s urging,” said Kay Harris, Library Board chairman.

Requests For Proposals (RFP’s) were advertised for 30 days, with 35 RFP’s requested by various agencies and architectural firms. Ten completed RFP’s were submitted to the county.

According to McLeod, all RFP’s are then put through a specific grading process that also included a reference and background check.

“From that point we talk about all the firms and select the ones who are rated highest,” said McLeod.

“The building committee narrowed the selection down to four firms who were asked to give presentations to the committee and the board of directors,” said Harris.

According to McLeod, each individual firm was rated and discussed but CRA’s presentation was above and beyond.

“I was not in any of the selection process but the report back to me was that they gave a very good presentation and that, coupled with the experience and the cost, weighed very heavily when making the decision,” said Joe Pritchard, Lowndes County Manager.

While the principals of CRA and several employees live in Madison, Fla., they have local ties.

“They have done two previous projects for Lowndes County as well as for the (Lowndes County) Board of Education,” said McLeod.

Pritchard stated that the projects CRA has worked on for the county have been done successfully and with little to no problems.

“At my level as county manager, we did not have any problems with them,” said Pritchard.

According to Harris, CRA was selected not only for their experience but because of their presentation.

“Of the four firms that gave a final presentation, they had done the most background work and homework specifically related to the needs of Lowndes County and Valdosta and directly related to the library,” said Harris.

The library board spent many hours over several months with state library consultants to put together specifications for the new library, much of which is dictated by the state.

“CRA not only read through the entire packet of material and tailored their presentation based off the material but did homework regarding the amount of money the library actually has available for the project, which is heavily dependent on the passage of SPLOST in November,” said Harris.

SPLOST dollars represent two thirds of the funds needed, with the sale of the current property and a state grant supplying the remainder. Harris said the library’s total is about $18.5 million, which is less than the state’s consultants estimated for the project, which was $21 to 22 million.

The library is required to have a final cost estimate for the project by Aug. 8, which is 90 days before the Nov. 6 election, in order for the project to be included on the next SPLOST. Under Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax statutory requirements, each project on SPLOST must be identified and estimates must be specific and accurate.

“CRA came in under the amount at around $16.5 million,” said Harris, “which was nearly $4 to 5 million less than the other three firms who did presentations.”

Though CRA is based out of Tallahassee, Fla., that’s no reason to think all the funds will go out of state. The company assured the library board that they will work with local firms and subcontractors. In addition to their well-researched presentation, experience and local knowledge, CRA also brings a national library consultant to the project.

“CRA has secured the services of a national library consulting firm with extensive experience specifically in library design,” said Harris.

The library board feels extremely confident in their decision to bring on CRA and feels they chose the firm that will best serve Lowndes County and Valdosta.

“We understand that some local architects are upset with the selection of CRA, but even if the decision was based solely on the lowest bid, this firm would have been awarded the project anyway,” said Harris.

“It is the mission of the library board to assist the county in ensuring that tax dollars are spent wisely and the needs of the library patrons are taken care of. Can you imagine how upset the community would be if we spent $5 million more just to hire an architect with a Valdosta address?”

The current library on Woodrow Wilson is not only nearly 50 years old, but is also landlocked as a result of South Georgia

Medical Center’s expansion and is unable to improve facilities or add parking spaces for patrons. SGMC has expressed interest in the purchase of the land as well as the purchase of Mathis Auditorium from the city.

Although the city will provide the bulk of the infrastructure, to include roads, water and sewer, the county as the funding agency for the library will also pay a portion of those costs.

State regulations require that the new library be a minimum of 62,000 square feet based on the county’s population, nearly double its current size.

The current library’s square footage is not only out of compliance with state guidelines, it also does not currently meet the state’s standard for number of books required per citizen.

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