WCOM NEWS
2-22-04
Miramar, schools eye deal
MIRAMAR--Broward
Community College and Nova Southeastern University both have said they would
like to come to the proposed Town Center library, and the city is making
arrangements to be sure it can house them.
The City Commission voted Wednesday night to change the interior design of the
library's second and third floors to add the amenities needed for the two
schools to occupy space.
The
change would add $334,000 to the cost of the library, for a total of more than
$4.8 million.
While the city has not finished its negotiations with the schools, both have
said they would need to move into the library as soon as possible. Construction
on the library, being done in conjunction with Broward County, is expected to
begin by year's end.
The commission's decision should be an additional incentive for a prompt
agreement between the schools and the city, said Henry Talton, the city's
director of engineering services.
"They want to be there, and we want them there," Talton said.
Construction of the library's first floor is being financed by the county, but
the second and third floors are the city's responsibility. On July 9, the City
Commission agreed to spend $4.5 million with the intention of building
additional space on the library's upper levels.
The city has since entered negotiations with Nova and BCC, which have asked the
city to redesign the space to cater to its needs, such as having computer
networks and independent utilities.
The city is allocating the additional funds to make construction possible,
Talton said, and the schools would reimburse the city once the contracts are
signed.
"We didn't have the money there to make it operational," Talton said.
The city is considering naming the street leading to the library after former
Commissioner Sallie Stephens, who spent more than 47 years as an educator in
Broward.
The news took Stephens by surprise.
"I'm so excited I can't even think straight," she said.
(source) Sun Sentinel (Milton D. Carrero Galarza) 2-22-04