West U officials question need for additional assessments of library, community center

West University Place officials are questioning whether the city needs additional, more invasive structural assessments before moving forward with plans for its library and community center. 

What this means

At their Nov. 2 meeting, city council members asked the Facilities Utilization Task Force whether the current engineering assessment provided enough information. Some argued that additional assessments could identify structural problems before the city committed to expensive renovations. 

The task force recommended demolishing the senior/community center’s single-story 1986 addition and replacing it with a two-story addition that combines the facilities into a larger community center.  

Cost to the city

The task force’s report also showed an estimated cost for repairs. For the library, recommended repairs consisted of: 

• Sidewalk repairs

• Slab and foundation repairs

• Roof replacement

• Exterior window replacement 

• Lighting repairs

• Piping replacements

The total estimated cost is over $979,000. 

For the senior/community center, recommendations included the same repairs, as well as roof insulation and ventilation. The estimated repair total is $1.6 million. 

What’s next? 

Officials said they would determine whether to conduct additional assessments, but did not specify a timeline for when the item would return to council.