YACHATS — After a brief paperwork delay, the city of Yachats has initiated negotiations with the low bidder for the long-awaited library rebuilding project.

During last week’s bid reveal, seven firms submitted offers to construct a new library at the site of the original 51-year-old building on West Seventh Street.

City infrastructure clerk Neal Morphis initially reported that the apparent low bidder was DSL Builders of Salem, with a bid of $1,447,000. The project’s budget is $1.5 million. DSL Builders had previously completed the $8 million Yachats fire station, which opened in 2019.

However, after discovering that DSL’s bid lacked the necessary insurance letter, the low bid status shifted to Unitus Services of Ridgefield, Wash., with a bid of $1,530,000.

“We will begin negotiations with them,” Morphis stated on Friday.

King West of Salem, which had been involved in an advisory role for the project, was notably absent from the bidding process.

Once a builder is contracted, the existing 51-year-old building on Seventh Street will be demolished to make way for the new, expanded library.

The new facility will offer about 3,600 square feet of books, magazines, and DVDs, along with a community meeting room and separate areas for teenagers and children. The current structure measures 2,400 square feet.

The city, which owns the library and its land, took over project oversight in November to guide it through the building stage, with Rick McClung at the helm. McClung, who is responsible for street and water projects in Yachats, has a background in working with contractors and is also managing the reconstruction of The Little Log Church and Museum.

Quinton Smith

The new Yachats Library will be 1,200 square feet larger than the current 2,400-square-foot building on West Seventh Street, which will be demolished and replaced.

A long library history

When David Rivinus joined the Library Commission in 2019, discussions around moving or expanding the library had already been ongoing for nearly two decades. The city initially planned to start with a small 400-square-foot expansion, following a $150,000 bequest from the Friends of the Yachats Library, combined with an additional $150,000 from the city.

In 2020, a formal assessment by library consultant Penny Hummel determined that a 3,756-square-foot library would be necessary to accommodate future population growth. However, the Covid pandemic, along with staff turnover and disruptions at City Hall, delayed the plans for several years.

Additional funding came through, including a $250,000 grant from the Ford Foundation secured by the Friends of the Yachats Library, along with smaller grants and donations. A major boost came in April, when the city allocated $600,000 for the new library, utilizing urban renewal district funds.

Subsequent soil tests at the West Seventh Street site revealed that the ground was too unstable to support the original expansion plan. The most cost-effective option was to demolish the existing library and start fresh on the current site.

While demolition was originally expected last summer, a few more issues delayed the process, including the need for an asbestos report before safely disposing of the building materials. No asbestos was found. A structural engineering assessment was also required to determine the floor strength needed to support heavy bookcases.

The library continues to operate in temporary quarters in Room 8 of the Commons. Visitors can access the library through the north side of the building next to the book return box. Current hours are noon to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Patrons can browse the available collection and place holds on books through the library’s website.