Old Marion library could be demolished by end of May

MARION — The city of Marion is aiming to have the old Marion Public Library building razed by summer.

The city council on Thursday night approved the calendar for the “disposal project,” directing staff to go forward with the bidding process.

The city engineer's preliminary estimate for the project is $500,000. Bids will be received Feb. 14 for possible council consideration at its Feb. 23 meeting.

The work is to be completed by May 26.

The old library, at 1095 Sixth Ave., opened in 1996 and was heavily damaged in the August 2020 derecho, when it lost around 20 percent of its collection. The city’s new library, across 11th Street from the old library, opened in November.

The demolition project now will be reviewed by the Uptown Marion Design Committee and the Planning and Zoning Commission. Those entities primarily will be looking at how the site will be left after the demolition, including parking, seeding and access as part of the Central Corridor Review Process.

City Manager Ryan Waller previously said the reason to do both that review and the bidding at the same time is to take advantage of the slower construction season and save taxpayer dollars.

The Uptown Marion Design Committee is expected to discuss the project Feb. 1, and the Planning and Zoning Commission on Feb. 14 — both before the council’s Feb. 23 meeting.

Property insurance paid around $270,000 for derecho damage at the old library — used for temporary repairs, replacement of lost items and rental of temporary spaces for library operations — and $625,000 was applied to cover lost revenue.

The city has $381,355 left in insurance money, with its use yet to be determined.

Funding for the city’s new $18 million library came from $3.3 million in donations, $5 million from local-option sales taxes and $10 million from general obligation bonds.

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