Miramar wants to use library for office space. Furnishing it would be pricey
Miramar officials plan to spend up to $375,749 in taxpayer funds to transform the second floor of the city branch library into office space, a project the city manager says is necessary to accommodate growth.
The proposal, scheduled for a vote at the commission meeting on Wednesday, April 22, would authorize a $341,590 purchase of furniture, fixtures and equipment, plus a $34,159 contingency, for what the city calls the “Miramar Branch Library Second Floor Office Space” project.
According to the city, the library space — located at 2050 Civic Center Place — was returned to Miramar after a long-standing sublease with Broward College ended. The city now plans to repurpose the space to house multiple departments, including Housing, Marketing, Economic Development and the 602-HELP customer service center.
The Miramar News contacted city commissioners by email for comment on whether they support the expenditure and whether they have reviewed the full costs. City Hall was closed on Friday.
City Manager Roy L. Virgin wrote in a memo to commissioners that the project is needed because Miramar is “expanding staffing and service delivery functions” and requires a “functional and professional office environment.”
He added that the proposed furniture and workspace configuration is designed to accommodate the city’s current staffing needs with “appropriate levels of privacy, functionality and long-term adaptability,” while aligning with broader operational growth.
But the buildout will be expensive. The furniture would be purchased from Compass Office Solutions, an approved city vendor under a state contract.
The package provided to commissioners includes a list of roughly 686 pieces of furniture, fixtures and equipment — ranging from standard desks and storage units to higher-end lounge and collaborative seating.
Among the notable items:
- A West Hill two-seat lounge sofa priced at $4,599. The manufacturer describes it as “a residential-style seating designed for office environments.”
- A West Hill single-seat lounge chair priced at roughly $3,000, depending on configuration.
- Soft seating lounge chairs and collaborative seating units priced at about $952 for a chair and $1,425 for two-seat configurations, intended for office “collaboration” areas.
The proposal is scheduled for consideration on the commission’s consent agenda, where items are typically approved in a single vote unless pulled for discussion. As of Friday, no separate public discussion has been scheduled on the item.
