During a meeting that clocked in at just over an hour on Monday evening and was led by Mayor Pro-Tem/Mayor-elect Mike Ladehoff in the absence of Mayor Joel Greer, the Marshalltown city council held a public hearing on the plans and specifications for an interior renovation project at the Marshalltown Public Library (MPL) estimated to cost about $940,000 before formally approving them by a unanimous vote.

On hand to provide information about the remodel were MPL Director Sarah Rosenblum and interior designer Hannah Schulz of FEH Design, the same Des Moines-based architectural firm that designed the new library almost two decades ago. Rosenblum explained that while there have been discussions about expanding the building, the current project works within the existing space at the southwest corner of the library.

“We’re working within the interior walls, and we’re very excited to talk about this new meeting/gathering space that we’re going to be creating in the library,” Rosenblum said.

The project is being funded entirely by the Friends of the Marshalltown Public Library organization, and Schulz showed councilors the demolition plan, which includes carpet removal and the removal of the existing reference desk to allow for additional meeting spaces. The overall renovated area consists of about 2,800 square feet, and Schulz said the goal is to add five study and meeting rooms — as well as a podcast room — with an occupancy ranging from two to 30 individuals and a general area in the center for additional seating, work spaces and stacks for local history. On the west side is a large conferencing space allowing for up to 30 individuals and then a meeting and lounge space.

Schulz said the project budget is currently about $939,000, and bids are due on Tuesday, Dec. 2 with hopes of awarding the contract at the Dec. 8 council meeting. The substantial completion date is June 1, 2026. Rosenblum then noted that Lennox is donating a new rooftop unit for the project, and a pledge is already in place to underwrite the lounge room, which she believes will be “very popular.” Grant applications are also pending with the Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation and the Community Foundation of Marshall County.

“We do have this project funded, but obviously, we would like to preserve some of the Friends’ capital because they do also give us money for things every year like, this year, they’re giving us $65,000 for ebooks, another $30,000 for programming and other things, especially for the youth area,” Rosenblum said. “So we’re very excited about this project. We think it’s going to be a great way to utilize the space more efficiently.”

One of the driving factors behind the new library 17 years ago, she added, was the need for free meeting space, and referencing the “Meet in Marshalltown” slogan, Rosenblum believes that it has served that purpose well. As they opened the floor up for questions, Councilor Gary Thompson asked about the construction timeframe and sought reassurance that the library would remain open throughout the remodeling.

She replied that there might be “a half day or a day” when everything would need to be shut down, but it isn’t something they’re planning on at this point.

“They will have to saw cut the floor, and if you’ve never been through an experience of sawcutting a concrete floor, it’s incredibly noisy,” Rosenblum said. “But our plan is to stay open, and we’re hoping to start right after the new year.”

She was encouraged to report that local contractors showed up to a preconstruction meeting, including companies that had worked with the Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) and the Gutekunst Library in State Center. Rosenblum did not believe tariffs would affect the cost of the project and hoped it would come in under the estimate.

Schulz said a temporary partition would be put up around the space in question during the renovation, and she also spoke of efforts to preserve the natural light in the area.

“We wanted to maintain the opportunity to still let some of that light come through here,” she said. “One of the things with this renovation being able to get some of these additional meeting spaces was that to maintain some acoustical value, we have to take those new walls all the way up to the roof deck. And so with that, we maintain some lower windows and some upper windows in these new walls to allow for some of that light to still transfer through the spaces and into the general area. That way, when you now walk into this new space, it’s not all drywall when you used to be surrounded by nice, big beautiful windows, so that’s something we’ve worked hard to maintain in this space as well.”

Rosenblum spoke highly of FEH’s work designing the new library before she came onboard as director and felt confident that this project would live on long after she has retired from her position. During the public comment period, Linda Clark expressed relief that the project was being privately funded due to concerns about her property taxes.

After the public hearing was closed, a subsequent motion to approve the plans and specifications passed by a unanimous 7-0 vote.

In other business, the council:

• Approved the consent agenda by a 6-1 vote with Mark Mitchell opposed.

• Recognized Deputy Fire Chief Curtis Raue and Fire Marshal Josh Warnell for 15 years of service to the Marshalltown Fire Department and Finance Director Diana Steiner for 10 years of service.

• Heard the annual Library Board of Trustees report.

• Approved the annual street financial report and annual financial report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025.

• Approved a resolution certifying TIF indebtedness to the county auditor for each urban renewal area within the city of Marshalltown for FY2027.

• Approved the third and final reading of an ordinance amendment pertaining to parking rules in chapter 72 of the city code.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.