Those pushing for a bigger and better Powell Library hope to see construction get underway a little more than a year from now — but first, they need a plan.

On Tuesday, Park County commissioners agreed to issue a request for proposals (RFP), kicking off a search for an architect that can design a series of renovations and additions to the library. While earlier discussions raised the possibility of building a completely new structure, the RFP only calls for modifications to the existing structure.

Project proponents say the community has outgrown the current space on East Third Street. The request explains that the county is looking for a building consultant that can plan “an affordable library facility to meet the needs of the City of Powell and its surrounding area for 20 years and beyond.”

However, commissioners have not committed to moving forward with a project, nor are they spending any money on the effort at this point.

After a consultant is selected in the spring, those services will be entirely paid for with private dollars raised by library boosters. And before Tuesday’s vote, Commissioner Lloyd Thiel made a point of noting that seeking an architect, “in no way obligates us to go any further if we choose not to, as a county.”

Still, members of the Powell Library Task Force — who are leading the charge for the improvements — hope the consultant’s work leads to action sooner rather than later.

“... Construction will need to begin sometime in early 2022,” the RFP reads, explaining that the facility’s current roof needs to be replaced.

Because of financial considerations and other factors, the document calls for the project to be split into two phases: “transforming the existing building and adding a small second floor in the first phase, then adding an addition in the second phase to bring the total square footage to some 20,900.”

According to the RFP, the initial work will involve adding 2,600 square feet of space on top of the building’s east end to house offices and meeting rooms while redesigning the entire building, remodeling where necessary. That first phase is also supposed to create more space for the children and young adult sections, computer terminals and study tables, a larger meeting room and an updated book sale area.

Roughly estimated to cost around $1.5 million, the initial work would bring the amount of usable space at the library from about 9,000 square feet to 11,600, project backers have said.

A more ambitious and costly second phase would involve extending the building north into the parking lot, either in one or two stories. Phase two is supposed to include more space for teens and adults, additional small study/meeting rooms, a quiet reading area, space for a seed bank and a “modest” outdoor play area.

“Construction of Phase Two will be governed by our ability to raise the necessary funds, leaving the exact timing uncertain,” the RFP continues. One potential source of funding was lost last month when voters rejected a proposed 1% sales tax hike for local governments.

Proposals from architects are due in the county commissioners’ office by April 12, with a packet listing their experience, references, examples of past work and a detailed cost proposal.

A planning team — consisting of a county-appointed project coordinator, Park County Library System Director Karen Horner, Park County Library Board Chair Pat Stuart and Powell Library Task Force Chair Geoff Baumann — will review the proposals and make recommendations to commissioners, who will make a selection by June. The consultant will then be tasked with producing schematic designs, a potential construction timeline and cost and staffing estimates, while attending public meetings and assisting “in public education,” the RFP says.

A draft report from the chosen architect is expected by October 2021, with a final report tentatively due in January 2022.

The RFP notes that, “the commissioners will have final approval authority of the building program.”