City officials hope to seek construction bids on the Washington Public Library expansion project before the end of the year.

Before bids can be sought, final design plans and architectural drawings will need to be prepared.

Library board members have been working with the lead architect, Horn Architects of Washington, and FEH Associates, Inc., a design consultant based in Iowa, which hope to have plans finalized by late fall.

"The architects are making progress on the plans," Nell Redhage, library director, told The Missourian. "We've made some changes to the exterior elevations, minor changes to the floor plans and now have a site plan that is going through the stages of approval."

Horn also is working on construction drawings and FEH is working on an interior furnishings plan, the library director said.

"Our board has seen samples of potential flooring, bathroom tile, interior color scheme, etc., and given (FEH) the go-ahead," Redhage said.

After the city receives bids, construction could begin in February or March of next year at the latest, but Redhage noted that demolition of the lower level may begin earlier than that.

Library staff are considering relocating its services during the construction. Redhage said the library likely will move to a temporary, close-by location, but no "official" plans have been made yet regarding a move.

"We will remain open during the whole time of construction in the temporary location," Redhage said. "It will be smaller than our current space and we will offer limited services and materials."

Earlier in the summer, Redhage said if the contractor works around the public and library staff in the current building, it could slow down the process. She also said there could possibly be safety concerns if the contractor works while patrons use the library.

Washington City Council members in June gave Horn and FEH the go-ahead to come up with final architectural design plans and for the city to proceed with seeking bids and construction once final plans are received.

Preliminary plans call for the library to expand to and utilize the bottom floor of the building and move the main entrance to the side of the building facing Lafayette Street. The upper level will be rearranged.

An elevator will be placed near the new entrance and a staircase will be built inside connecting the two floors.

Floor plans include more leisure reading areas and computer stations, a larger meeting room and bigger staff offices, a larger children's library area and additional restrooms and upgrades to the current facilities.

Landscaping work around the building outside also is being proposed.

Expansion of the library was the top project recommended to be funded with the extension of the city's half-cent capital improvement sales tax, which voters approved in April.

At that time, the project was estimated to cost about $3,388,951.

In June, City Administrator Jim Briggs said because not enough money is in the current capital sales tax fund, the city will likely look at funding the project by issuing certificates of participation (COPs), which are similar to tax-exempt bonds.

He said at the time that once the COPs are issued, there is a three-year window to complete the project.