Series of unfortunate events may soon end for Van Buren library

story by Marla Cantrell
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After more than a year of delays, negotiations and legal wrangling, Van Buren Mayor Bob Freeman is finally seeing signs that the town’s new $3.4 million library, dormant since a fire stalled construction in September of 2008, could soon open.

Traveler’s Casualty and Surety Company, the bonding company for the project, recently offered $233,000 to settle with the city.

Freeman, however, stops short of declaring victory.

“It’s been such a painful process over the last year-and-a-half, with the fire, the contractor going under, dealing with one insurance company and a second insurance company,” Freeman said. “When you go through that much, you just can’t turn it off. I’m cautiously optimistic, but I want to see the settlement signed, the contracts signed, work underway and then the library opened.”

In a special council meeting on Monday, alderman approved the settlement and voted on the next step in the process, which is hiring a contractor to finish off the work.

“The reason I wanted the council to go ahead and approve Crawford Construction was so that when the settlement and release from Traveler’s is finalized we can start work immediately,” Freeman said. “I want everything lined up so that everything can happen as quickly as possible.”

Three contractors bid on the project and at $1,315,200, Fort Smith’s Crawford Construction was not the lowest bidder. But the bonding company deemed Crawford the most responsive. The company had also completed the repair work from the fire, funded through a different insurance company, and had been a bidder on the original contract, which made them extremely familiar with the scope of the project. The Main Street library was 85% complete when the fire damaged the building.

Crawford Construction’s bid includes monies to pay the $250,000 still owed to sub-contractors by the former contractor, Bossler Construction, which has gone out of business.

“Right now, with the settlement, we can execute contract and do what we have to do with the funds we have allocated,” Freeman said.

The city still has approximately $1.5 million allocated for the 19,000-square-foot library from the one-half percent sales tax approved by voters in 2005 and renewed in 2006.  The tax has since been retired. If unexpected expenses arise, Freeman said the city will likely draw from reserve funds.

Freeman won’t speculate on a date for the library opening. Crawford Construction will not only have to complete the 15% of remaining construction, but will also have to redo some of the work, such as a set of concrete steps, that did not meet the architect’s specifications. Some issues, however, have already been handled, like the expired warranties on the heating and air units and other mechanical equipment. Freeman said those will be extended to coincide with the date of the library’s opening.

In the meantime, Freeman waits on the final paperwork between the city and Traveler’s Casualty. He’s anxious to get the new library, now the newest old building in town, up and running. Until then, it sits as a painful reminder of a series of very unfortunate events.

“The library is in a great location for when it opens,” Freeman said. “But while it’s closed it’s in a terrible location because it’s so visible and you drive by every day and see it sitting there with nothing going on. It’s like a terrible wart on your face and when it’s gone, hopefully, your face will be beautiful again. Hopefully,” Freeman said, and then smiled, “you won’t remember how it was before.”