The St. Tammany Parish Library Board of Control formed a five-person committee several months ago to accept applications from area architects to design the state of the art 15,000-square-foot library to be constructed in Madisonville.
They’ve received eight submissions that Assistant Director Don Westmoreland said will be reviewed and whittled down to three.
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Jay Martin, executive director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum, near where the library is planned, is one of the members on the board, Westmoreland said.
“It’s difficult to say what they’ll be looking for in the architect,” he said. “They’ll select the best person to help us build the best library.”
Also on the committee is renowned Dallas-based architect Denelle Wrightson, whose repertoire covers hundreds of structures, including many libraries in Louisiana.
Westmoreland said Wrightson will serve as a consultant for the architect chosen for the job.
Once the architect is chosen, Westmoreland said a design will be drawn up and presented to the Town of Madisonville and the Board of Control for review.
“After everyone accepts it, construction can begin and hopefully if everything falls in place, we could see it opening in the summer of 2010,” he said.
Spearheaded by Director Jan Butler, the concept to construct a new library came after Katrina caused irreparable damage to the historic building on Main Street being used by the library.
The new structure will be the 14th branch of the library and also the first building constructed by the library since the late 80s.
The $5 million structure is planned for a 6-acre plot of land on Mabel Drive adjacent the Maritime Museum.
The building will be raised, resembling the museum, with a parking area underneath.
It will also contain numerous classrooms for educational events.
Ultimately, the museum and library are hoping to compliment each other and work as partners.
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