The architects behind Unalaska's library renovation are shifting their focus from broad designs to details.
Brian Meissner, of ECI Hyer Inc., said the City Council's recent endorsement of a larger expansion plan will allow his firm to zero in on the final blueprints.
"A year from now, we'll have a contractor selected and be getting ready to build this thing," said Meissner last week. "That's pretty exciting. It's real, and it's close."
So close that Meissner said he's bringing an interior designer and a landscape architect to the next round of public planning meetings, set for early April.
"We'll be looking more inwardly at furnishings and how we make this concept plan work," he said. "And then outwardly: How do we deal with parking? Pedestrian access? We have to figure out where the snow is going to go. [Our focus] is going to be roof forms and furniture and landscape."
Meissner said his team is also working to nail down the final cost estimate, which is currently pegged around $5.2 million.
Funded by the city's capital plan, the project is expected to grow the 20-year-old library by more than 4,000 square feet. That'll include 25 percent more collections space and a new 80-person meeting room.
Unalaskans can check out the latest designs here.
Updated 3/5/19: This story previously stated the next round of public planning meetings was March 6-8. They've been rescheduled for early April, and the story has been updated with the correct information.
