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Deal with architect for library delayed
By ERIC STIRGUS
© St. Petersburg Times, LARGO -- After learning about past problems with his work on a library in Sarasota, city commissioners on Tuesday decided to hold off on striking an agreement with an architect it had planned to hire to design the city's new library. The decision to wait before negotiating with the commission's first choice, Hoyt Architects, came after Commissioner Harriet Crozier said she could not give her support to the Sarasota firm after reading newspaper articles that reported conflicts between the lead designer, Eugene Aubry, and some residents. "The people did not like the design," Crozier said. "They were giving input after the fact." Crozier then read a quote attributed to Aubry in which he expressed his frustration with residents who were critical of his work. "This is not what we want," Crozier said of a process where there is not great collaboration between residents and the architect. Aubry was not at the meeting and could not be reached for comment. City officials who performed an initial background check on Hoyt Architects and the three other firms that were finalists for the contract admitted that their research was not as thorough as it should have been. Assistant City Manager Henry Schubert said there would have been a more extensive background check during the negotiation process. Commissioners have agreed to build a new library near the site of the current library, which at 36,000-square-feet, is considered too small. The new library would be 65,000 square feet, with an additional 28,000 square feet for future expansion. In August, the four firms gave presentations to a committee of city officials and community leaders. The committee said they were impressed with all four firms but recommended that the city work with Collman & Karsky Associates. Hoyt Architects finished second. Despite the recommendation, commissioners said they were overwhelmed by Aubry's enthusiasm at a meeting last week in which all four firms gave presentations to commissioners. He was exuberant and animated, telling commissioners that "buildings have souls." The library is "the most important building in the city because it's used by everyone," Aubry told commissioners. Hoyt Architects was ranked first by three of the seven commissioners, garnering more first-place votes than any other firm. Mayor Bob Jackson shifted his vote to Hoyt Architects to give the firm the support of the majority of the commission. However, some commissioners were not thrilled with the way the ranking was handled or that Aubry did the majority of the talking during Hoyt Architects' presentation. Crozier's comments, although she prefaced them by saying newspaper articles can be "slanted," opened the floodgates for other commissioners to express their concerns. "I just don't have a very good feeling about it," said Commissioner Jean Halvorsen. Commissioner Pat Gerard worried that Crozier's comments could have created a climate of mistrust between Hoyt Architects and the city that may be difficult to overcome.
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