New Portlaoise library cost rises to €6.5 million

The cost of completing the new Portlaoise library currently under construction has risen to €6.5 million, with one councillor calling for the project to be stopped. 

It is a big jump from the estimated figure of €2.5 million given in 2013 before the job was tendered.

The project design then went up a storey to three storeys, given the small size of the Main Street site, and the actual tendered price was €4.937 million after VAT. 

It was revealed that the ground had been contaminated under the old Shaws shop, which added another €150,000 unexpected cost to the construction job, while Covid-19 forced halts and further costs. 

Architectural design, tender assessment and construction supervision is costing €402,000 excluding VAT.

Fitting it out with books and furniture is expected to cost €664,000 excluding VAT but that has not yet gone to tender.

It brings the cost to €6.473 million including VAT. That is not including the €450,000 spent by the council to buy the old Shaws shop in 2013.  

Below: design of new library by McCarthy O'Hora Architects

Laois County Council CEO John Mulholland is standing by the landmark project which is due to be completed by next winter.
“I am confident that people will look back and say what a great investment this was.

“This council was one of the first to get urban regeneration funding and we have other sites to deal with yet, a building in Mountmellick, the courthouse in Borris-in-Ossory, buildings in Rathdowney and Stradbally, the market house in Portarlington.

“This is the essence of regeneration that people want. We are now on to watchful monitoring of this contract. No matter whatever you do, there are always issues that have to be addressed when you are working in an urban environment,” the CEO said.

"This is good value for money. We've been crying out for years for more funding for this county and we have it. We want to avail of more funds. We battle for it, we should get it," he said. 

Director of Services Donal Brennan listed the figures. 

“The original tender price was €4.937 million including VAT," he said.

“The items under fit-out and new book stock have not yet gone to tender. Within the construction related costs are costs of just over €150,000 in respect of contaminated ground which was an unexpected site condition,” he said.

He said that 75% of the construction cost will be paid by Government grants, and 50% of the costs of the books and fit out.

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The latest costs were supplied at the December council meeting, in reply to a motion tabled by Cllr Aisling Moran.

Cllr Moran wants the project halted, and profit making activity on the site instead, putting the library elsewhere in Portlaoise.

“If we stopped the project and put in housing or hot desks. Donal you told me that libraries are closing all over this county because people are not using them. Now we are going to be paying €2 million out of public funds. Yes we need libraries but in the right place.

“Can we not go back and get a new contract? We need to start looking after taxpayers money because we are not. Could we look at knocking Centrepoint andbuilding a sports arena housing a library.

"Use Shaws for something bringing in revenue. At the moment it is a big white elephant," she said.

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley seconded the motion and said “it's just spiralled out of control”.
“I have huge concerns given the knock on effect with Covid. I'm in favour of a library, we all know the existing building is not fit for purpose but I don't think we can justify this,” she said.

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"The cost is in no means spiralling, it is kept under control by consultants," Mr Brennan said.

Cllr John King noted the soaring costs of construction materials.

"If you started again the cost would be an awful lot more," he said.

Cllr Willie Aird said "will everyone please stop and think".

He pointed out that the contractors tendered price of almost €5 million cannot legally increase, and that the books were always going to be an additional cost. He noted that the project had been stalled for a year in the design stage after the price went up, until a second Government grant was awarded to the council to fund it. 

"One has to be careful and to be fair," he said.

The library is designed by Portlaoise architects McCarthy O'Hora, to have a 1,500m² central branch library with a local studies centre, an ICT room, staff offices, events area and an exhibition space. 

It will have a series of interconnecting rooms both single height and double height, lined with bookcases, reading desks and galleries, offering a combination of calm study areas and animated public spaces. The old Shaws corner pediment will be recreated in a new design.