I have been writing a weekly newspaper column since 1987.
For 3 years, it ran in the Greeley Tribune. Since then, it has run in various subsidiaries of the Douglas County News Press. I still have most of my columns in digital format.
For many years, I only gave myself one rule: try to work the word "library" into every piece. My intent was to think in public about just what librarianship means at the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st.
There have been many advantages for me. I found that putting library plans out in front of the public, and getting feedback about them, helped me make better decisions. Sometimes, I found that it was very difficult for me to describe those plans or policies -- the kind of thing that makes me realize that they might not be good ideas after all. The weekly discipline of explaining my profession to the public keeps me more mindful, more honest. It also has provided steady visibility for the library and its issues.
August 30, 2007 - Architectural Competition a Tough Call
Elsewhere in today's paper, you'll read about the results of our architectural competition for a performing arts center and library in Parker.
The town and the library district teamed up on this project to get some help in crafting a vision -- and nailing down the costs. By getting not just one but three architectural teams to tackle the opportunities and challenges presented by the program and the site, we hoped to wind up with several independent estimates. That, in turn, would give us an intelligent range of choices.
The winner would get the contract (providing, of course, that we could find the money their estimates would tell us we needed).
The other two firms would also get something: $10,000 apiece. That's $10,000 for about 6 weeks of work.
But guess what? These extraordinarily gifted and creative people gave us at least $100,000 of value.
We now have a whole grab bag of options to choose from and plan with. We have comprehensive estimates for everything. We have multiple views of buildings and the site.
So I want to publicly acknowledge the truly remarkable contribution that each of our contenders -- all privately held businesses -- made to the public sector.
The folks who picked the winner, drawn from Parker's Town Council and our own Board of Trustees, had the best of all dilemmas: how to choose from three great options. These businesses invested a lot of intense effort on a gamble. We are the beneficiaries of their genius.
In the words of Jeannene Bragg, Town Administrator for Parker, "The committee had to make some tough choices and we would highly recommend any of these teams without reservation."
So let's take a moment to list names and contact information for some architectural firms with strong Colorado ties, whose work we can heartily recommend for quality, for sensitivity, for creativity, for comprehensiveness. Every single one of these firms demonstrated an ability to listen, to analyze, to go the extra mile. And all of their designs had deep insight and merit.
Do business with these people, whether you're in the public or the private sector, and you'll be glad you did. They know their stuff.
My only regret is that I couldn't work with every one of them. It would have been fun. (Note, I realize there are more than 3 names here. Humphries Poli teamed up with Semple Brown. Thomas Hacker teamed up with Sink Combs Dethlefs.)
Barker Rinker Seacat
3457 Ringsby Court, Unit 200
Denver, CO 80216
303-455-1366
www.brsarch.com
Humphries Poli Architects
1215 Elati Street
Denver Colorado 80204
303.607.0040
www.hparch.com
Semple Brown Design, P.C.
1160 Santa Fe Drive
Denver CO 80204
303-571-4137
www.sbdesign-pc.com
Sink, Combs, Dethlefs / Thomas Hacker
Sink Combs Dethlefs
475 Lincoln Street, Suite 100
Denver CO 80203
303-308-0200
www.sinkcombs.com
Thomas Hacker Architects
733 SW Oak Street, Suite 100
Portland OR 97205
503-227-1254
www.thomashacker.com
