From the The NY Times:
Responding to criticism that cost projections for the renovation of its flagship branch are not to be trusted, the president of the New York Public Library said Thursday at a legislative hearing that he has decided to commission a separate review of those figures.
“We know there is skepticism about our numbers,” the official, Tony Marx, said. “We understand that there needs to be an independent cost estimate and will provide one as soon as we have a design.”
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State Assemblyman Micah Z. Kellner, the chairman of the Committee on Libraries and Education Technology, which held the hearing, said Mr. Marx’s presentation had left him with more questions than answers.
“If we don’t have a design yet and we don’t know cost, why has the N.Y.P.L. applied for and been granted building permits?” (Mr. Marx said the permits were for “preliminary and preparatory work.”)
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Mr. [Norman] Foster’s design would replace the stacks with a circulating library overlooking Bryant Park that features a four-level atrium with bookshelves, sitting areas and desks.
But on Thursday, Mr. Marx seemed to disavow those plans and said the library had directed the architect to find a way incorporate some of the stacks. “It was never intended to be a design; it’s not a design,” he said. “We are working with our architects to come up with a design for this new space that will incorporate as much as possible of the historic stacks material.”
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See Also: New York Public Library’s Flagship Building Designs Released (December 19, 2012)
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