WILLIAMSBURG — Williamsburg City Council approved moving forward with phase 2 of the library development project at its meeting Dec. 11.
Phase 2 of the project involves standard design work to develop 35% complete construction drawings, which will enable Hourigan Construction to provide a guaranteed maximum price for the building. Hourigan’s initial submission proposed a concept plan valued at $26.1 million. The city is required to provide a notice to proceed to Phase 2, and moving forward was recommended by staff.
Hourigan has been compensated for its work on Phase 1 and will receive payment for Phase 2 with the authorization, putting the total value of the work for the interim agreement so far at $1,123,412 ($26,755 for Phase 1 and $1,096,657 for Phase 2), which is being paid to the contractor as progress payments.
This, however, does not guarantee the library is moving forward. The next action of the council will likely be in the second or third quarter of 2026, according to the agenda item, when a comprehensive agreement will be presented to the council for approval to enable the construction to proceed with the guaranteed maximum price.
“We’ve heard some concerns about pricing, and I’m concerned about the pricing as well. But that’s why we need to move forward with this next phase, so that we can get that guaranteed maximum price, and then we’ll have the opportunity to decide whether that’s a price that we can afford at that particular time,” said Vice Mayor W. Pat Dent.
The vote passed unanimously.
Solar Farm Proposal
At the end of the meeting, Mayor Douglas Pons read a memo regarding a presentation made during last month’s meeting about a potential solar farm being built on city land around Waller Mill. He said that the council has considered it and decided that it is not something it wishes to pursue; thus, it will not move forward with the development of the solar farm on that land.
The next city council meeting will be on Jan. 8. For more information, visit the official website.
