Bid accepted, new bookmobile

Jamestown (CSi) James River Valley Library Board of Directors has accepted the bid for a bookmobile from an Ohio Company,  OBS Inc., that designs and builds specialty vehicles.,

The $243,000 bid was approved unanimously. Board member Jim Nyland, was not present.

The price includes all expenses of the bookmobile, except paint and wrap. The bookmobile will be white in color.

Three bids were received with only one being valid, as one bid arrived late, and another was submitted electronically and would have needed to be mailed and sealed for consideration.

Library Director, Joe Rector says, the bookmobile will be paid for through the library savings fund.

A grant, covering 15 percent of the total cost from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will also be allotted once the purchase is complete.

He says, the bookmobile will include a wheelchair lift, maximum space for books and rotating carts to appropriate for specific stops: For example, if the bookmobile is headed to a day care center, carts with books geared to that specific group could be put into the bookmobile and others rotated out.

The library  plans to sell the current bookmobile upon arrival of the new unit.

In other business, Rector says the library elevator is currently undergoing maintenance. Half of the total maintenance bill of $52,000 has been paid, and the second half will be paid when the repairs are complete.

The board also considered interior design recommendations previously made by Elizabeth Meed of JLG Architects, located in Fargo.

Rector is also looking to replace carpet in the library, primarily in the children’s sector as soon as possible. Rector plans to gives estimates for cost to replace the carpet by the end of the year.