Indianapolis library branches delayed by COVID-related price increases

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Pandemic-induced increases in the price of construction materials and labor have delayed the opening of the two newest Indianapolis Public Library branches planned for the far east side and the Broad Ripple area, prompting library officials to request more funding from the city. 

The request to issue roughly $28.5 million in two bonds for the new Fort Ben and Glendale branches is higher than the roughly $20 million the library initially requested and received approval for in 2014. 

The higher costs, however, won’t increase the library’s portion of the property tax rate, which is proposed to stay at roughly $0.13 per $100 of assessed value for 2022. Instead, the library plans to begin repaying the debt as other debt rolls off its books.

Construction, however, has fallen six to eight months behind, said Mike Coghlan, the library’s interim facilities director.

Labor costs increased as travel was restricted, he noted. There was also a backup in other construction materials: light fixtures, control equipment, furniture — anything made in warehouses where employees were remarkably close.

“But really the thing that got us was the cost of structural steel,” he said. “And that’s a supply issue.”

The Glendale branch, currently located in the Glendale Town Center off Keystone Avenue, will relocate to the site of the old John Strange Elementary School at 3660 E. 62nd St. 

The Fort Ben branch will provide much needed services to the far east side at 56th Street and Melner Drive.

The two new branches were part of renovations across the library system funded through bonds that were initially approved in 2014.

Yet the library never sold the $9.7 million bond for the Fort Ben site and the $10.2 million bond for Glendale and was already about a year behind on the projects. Construction was expected to begin around August of this year. 

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But when the pandemic hit in 2020, rising construction and labor costs increased the price of both projects. Now, the library plans to sell the higher $28.5 million in bonds — pending final city-county council approval — with the goal of opening both sites in 2023. 

At Glendale, staff are looking forward to more open grassy areas — a stretch from their current location inside the mall.

“The library is one of the safest places. Parents are more likely to let the kids come hang out at the library than the park down the street,” Brandi Winston, interim Glendale branch manager, said in an email. “I truly believe if we build it, they will come.”

Glendale’s new site

The maximum cost for the Glendale branch has risen to $14.85 million, above the $10.2 million approved in 2014. 

Constituents of the current branch, which serves the Broad Ripple area, called for a new building with a professional look, natural lighting and the preservation of nature, Winston said. 

Increased accessibility, too, was a need.

“Our current Glendale branch has an accessibility issue because of its distance from the parking lot and the long journey up to the second floor and down a long hall to get to the front door,” Winston said. “Our new branch is designed keeping accessibility in mind. Parking lots were designed to provide ease of entering and exiting.  A drive-up drop slot into the building allows patrons to return items.”

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The library hopes to open the new branch in the spring of 2023. 

The Glendale branch was initially the Broad Ripple branch that began next to School No. 80 in 1949 and later opened in Broad Ripple Park in 1986. The branch moved over to the Glendale mall in 2000. 

At the time, it was a vibrant mall with lots of anchor stores, Coghlan said. But as enclosed shopping malls contracted with the advent of online shopping, the landscape changed. 

“The goal is to move out of that spot to a free-standing building,” he said.

The new branch would serve the Broad Ripple area and the Keystone Avenue area. 

Services to the far east side

The new Fort Ben branch will provide much needed library services to the far eastside — a site that’s been a “ridiculously long time in the making,” Coghlan said. 

The location at the corner of 56th Street and Melner Drive was initially identified during planning back in 2000, he said, due to the lack of libraries in the surrounding area. 

The two closest libraries: the Lawrence branch five miles to the north and the Warren branch five miles to the south. 

“It was identified as — with people coming up and down Pendleton Pike — as a location where we have an underserved population,” Coghlan said. 

The bond for this location increased from $9.69 million to $13.66 million.

The 25,000-square-foot building, built on 2.8 acres of property, is now slated to open in the fall of 2023. 

Call IndyStar reporter Amelia Pak-Harvey at 317-444-6175 or email her at apakharvey@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmeliaPakHarvey.