APPLETON, WI — Groundbreaking on the new Appleton Public Library is tentatively set for mid-July. A revised timeline has the project going out for bids next month–with Common Council approval in June or early July. Library Director Colleen Rortvedt says new designs will be available for the public to see soon.
“We’re planning for kind of a printed or online update, ” Rortvedt says. “So you can see updated stills (photos). I don’t know that we’re planning for an actual live presentation. But we are excited to have the community see the updated images. I think they’ll be very pleased with what they see.”
Rortvedt also says bids should be ready for contractors next month.
“We really are on track to begin bidding in early May,” she says. “SOM is busy completing the construction documents. There will then be a period where Boldt reviews those to make sure they’re ready for releasing. And then we will go to bid.”
The library project has been put on hold after the original bids came in far in excess of what was budgeted.