Amongst the Rubble

As stated in the last update, demolition is taking place at the new location and it is happening fast! In a bittersweet moment late last week we watched as the infamous "library staircase" came down.

This was a defining moment for us in this process. It was a moment of saddness as we watched the historical stairs being torn down, but it was a moment of excitement as it marked the first big sign of change...it means revitalization, rebuilding, progress.

Click above for a video of the main floor - caution turn volume down

As we were finishing up our time at the building right at the bottom of our feet, all alone, sat a dirty old VHS tape. Curious to know what video it was we dusted off the label to find this...

What a sign! Right there in the rubble lay "Start Where You Are!" What a profound statement, not only for those of us at TrueNorth and the journey that we have been on, but for the whole city of Cedar Rapids. It is a reminder that even though the flood set us back, we are in the process of rebuilding to come back better than ever!

"Demolition"

Demolition: the events to begin the prep work in order to prepare a location for construction.

"Demolition" on our new site is set to begin this week. We are excited for our first official step into making this building our own. Below are a few more "before" pictures as we embark on our journey to discover the "after."

A shot of the exterior "before."

Stuck in time. A clock on the wall that remained after the power was lost during the flood.

Where our new "outdoor terrace" will be located.

Let the "demo" begin.

Excited to Proceed!

City officials met with individuals from the Regional FEMA office today and both parties have settled on a reimbursement related to the new library. As Duane mentioned in the last email, the city and the library board have remained committed to relocating to our site. This is good news…. and based on today’s meeting, we expect our transaction will move forward as previously agreed.

We will work over the next couple of weeks to finalize all documentation and discuss timelines for the project. We had continued to make some progress in the past few weeks. Although we were proceeding cautiously, we were able to make decisions regarding the exterior as well as the interior design structure. This information will be valuable and our next step is to evaluate the budget as well as the timeline.

We are proud to be associated with a team at TrueNorth that continues to give the proper attention to our clients and our colleagues. Thank you for your efforts and focus during this uncertainty.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Cedar-Rapids-Library-To-Return-To-TrueNorth-Site-103555099.html

Schematic Design. Check!

We have completed schematic design for the exterior and are closing in on final schematic design for the interior. YEAH!

The programming team has spent many hours this past month evaluating the best options for our professional office space. During schematic design we were able to start with our “wish list” and then scale back in order to align with the cost and space restraints.

September will mark the “construction design” phase. The goal during construction design is to work out details and prepare for blueprint development. We will discuss such things as: windows vs. walls, height of ceilings, entry areas, exits, access to printer , etc. Once we have finalized the details, the information will then be turned over for the development of blue prints. In addition we will start evaluating the pricing of the overall project. This project is much like building your own home, there are upgrades and additional amenities which you can consider. There will also be some items which we will consider optional. Optional items may be in the initial build out, or they may be completed at a date in the future.

The last thing we are starting to work on is our workstation options and general office furniture.

As you may have read, the city is still working on several details in order that we can finalize purchase terms for our current facility as well as the library. Although there appears to be a delay, city officials are confident these issues will not be obstacles and should not be cause for alarm.

I would, once again, like to thank each of you for your feedback and trust in the team who is working on this project. We continue to be excited and energized by the project and are confident we will have a “Beyond the Expected” facility.

As a preview, see the rough sketches of the outside of our building below.

Programming? Check.

Programming is complete and we move in to Schematic Design today!

The goal of “Programming” is to discuss areas within the interior, including work stations and offices. Feedback has been important in this phase. We appreciate the following resources:

• “My Brick” ...from all of you.
• EVP’s and Leadership team
• The OPN Design experts
• Other businesses. We have had the opportunity to tour many facilities and get their feedback on what has worked and what they would do differently.
• Research on trends for office spaces

All these resources have provided us insight and they have been our inspiration for the concepts which are being proposed.

CALL TO ACTION: If you reading this and you are located in a satellite office, we value your feedback also.

• When you visit the CR office, what are some things that would make the experience better for you?
• As an individual coming in to visit, what would you like to see more of, less of?
• Please feel free to email me directly or you can use the mybrick email.

With Programming behind us we are ready to move in to Schematic Design phase, often referred to as SD. The SD Phase is the opportunity to take our ideas and implement them on paper to make sure they are realistic and practical.

There will be five meetings over the next month to complete the SD phase of the project. Our goals during these meetings will be:

• Meeting #1: Review preliminary bubble diagrams (locations and adjacencies)
• Meeting #2: Review floor plan concepts.
• Meeting #3: Review refined floor plan(s). Review exterior design concepts. Start discussions on exterior materials. Start discussions on interior design concepts.
• Meeting #4: Review refined exterior design concepts. Review interior design concepts for key spaces. Review exterior material samples. Review interior material samples for key areas.
• Meeting #5: Present final floor plan and exterior design concept – for final approval.

Throughout this phase we will continue to update the staff, and review the concepts with the EVP’s and the Leadership team.

GOOD NEWS…. We are on schedule! Programming and SD Phase typically take about 9 to 10 weeks minimum. We have been told by OPN that “it is important we start right, so we can end right ”

Our mission is to “Develop a location which is timeless and traditional while enhancing the 'Beyond the Expected' experience. “

We are excited about the current progress and look forward to sharing more information as it is available.

TrueNorth Green?

We're all familiar with our TrueNorth blue and find it showing up in "unexpected" places such as roads, docks and trees often. But we're also taking strides at becoming more green!

TrueNorth's programming team is looking into energy efficient lighting and systems this week. We look forward to more information and keeping our TrueNorth blues, well, green!

Programming.

Programming: scheduling, setting an order and time for planned events.

Ben Droessler, Kirsten Eddins, Sue Erbes and Dru Bridges - our TrueNorth programming team - began working with Dave Sorg and Tabatha Janek from OPN this past week. A few highlights from this past week:

• In our first meeting we communicated our current staffing needs to OPN.
• We spent time with Tabatha on Friday after she had compiled all the info from the first meeting and re-confirmed our current headcount and discussed growth needs.
• We completed the initial room data sheets and diagrams and directed those to OPN for review. (Room data sheets are a document for every room or area in the building and it allows us to identify architectural features and requirements that we want to consider or review.)
• Phelans will assist with furniture and we had initial conversation regarding office furniture - new and refurbished.
• We have toured several new offices in the area, including CRBT, so we can see the various options and ideas. We have several great ideas from each visit, so they have been very helpful.
• Randy and Dru met with OPN, Point and civil engineers to discuss roads surrounding the building, parking outside or in addition to the covered parking. Entrance and exit to the covered parking areas. Our goal was to get the necessary information so the Site Diagrams could be completed. These diagrams will be submitted with a “pre application" to the city the week of 7/26.

This coming week we look forward to:

• Discussing collaboration areas, and understanding our options for non-traditional offices, vs. traditional offices
• Meeting with Phelans and OPN to discuss furniture and timelines for making the decisions.
• Working with technology to get sizes of copiers, scanners and equipment so we can appropriately designate space in the design phases.
• Finalizing the appliances needed in the break rooms.
• Discussing storage needs with OPN.
• Continuing to gather feedback from appropriate individuals.

Check back often as our building continues to be transformed. Feel free to offer comments and feedback on this blog.

A Beyond the Expected Event

At a meeting late in the afternoon on July 8, many of our colleagues in the Cedar Rapids office visited the building that the previous Cedar Rapids Library occupied. We were excited to share some of the early plans for this building and ease anxiety about our upcoming relocation.

Enjoy our "before" pictures of this "old library" and continue to check back as we transform the building into the new TrueNorth.

The Old Library No More!

Good Morning,

I am excited to finally share with you more details on our future office location. As you know, we have explored many options over the last several months. We started with a list of over 20 locations that we considered. We analyzed many factors, including location, flood risk, accessibility, cost, parking, image and brand. Our first choice was the Banjo block just East of our current location. Unfortunately, we could not come to terms with the owners of the property.

Several alternative locations were considered, including the former library site on 1st Street. Originally we were not optimistic that the former library site would provide a suitable location for the future of our company. However, after a very extensive review, including design work by OPN architects, we became more and more intrigued with the idea of resurrecting the site, and utilizing a very sound infrastructure. Thirty days ago the City requested proposals for the former library site. Several proposals were received and at last TrueNorth was chosen to exchange our property for the old library site.

We do not want to be known as the “old library” site. We want our location to make a new statement, a TrueNorth statement. We want to show the community and our clients, that once again, we can go “Beyond the Expected”. We can be a strong supporter of the community and construct a building that will provide our staff and our clients a facility that we can all be proud of. We are confident we can do that with this location. Although the below drawings are preliminary, they offer a glimpse of the transformation that we have in mind. The new facility will more than double our space, and allow some tenant occupancy to offset the remodeling cost. Plans also include an outdoor patio, and utilization of Beems Auditorium as a conference and learning center.

We will finalize the sale of our building and purchase of the library site within the next 60 days. Our goal is to complete our design and construction plans during the same time period, and start renovation this Fall. We anticipate moving to the new facility next summer.

We are looking forward to working on this project with you!

Have a great day.

Duane Smith