Almaden Resident
News
SJ library commission OKs audit of bond funds as work continues
By Eli Segall
The reopening of revamped and rebuilt San Jose libraries has become a familiar sight in many communities.
The San Jose Library Commission on Nov. 8 met to discuss the seven branches that have either had major renovations or were newly constructed and to discuss future projects and spending.
The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the 2005-06 audit reports that outlined bond money expenditures being used for the new libraries.
The library building bonanza has been in the works since the passage of a 2000 bond measure and was aided by a 2004 parcel tax. With voter approval, the city undertook a sweeping overhaul of its library system.
Of San Jose's 21 public libraries, eight have been rebuilt or renovated, four are under construction, five are in preliminary design stages and three more are in the pipeline for extreme makeovers.
The Almaden Library and Community Center on Camden Avenue, which opened in May, is just one of these projects. The library cost $7.6 million and occupies 19,000 square feet, part of an overall $26 million, 65,000-square-foot project.
On Nov. 18, the newest card in the catalogue the 27,800-square-foot Cambrian Library, will welcome the public to its new and improved self.
But as soon as one goes up, another goes down. On Dec. 2, the Willow Glen Library, closed since August, will soon have its groundbreaking ceremony. Once Willow Glen reopensscheduled for July 2008the Calabazas Library in West San Jose will shut its doors, transferring staff and books to Willow Glen while being rebuilt.
The two-year closures per project have frustrated some community members.
Jane Darrow, a member of Pinehurst Neighborhood Association, told commissioners she was concerned about the rebuilding timetable for the Pearl Avenue Library, which is her local branch. She was particularly worried an indefinitely closed library could hurt the branch's ongoing fundraising efforts.
"We had our groundbreaking ceremony in September, but still nothing has happened," Darrow said.
Library commissioners assured Darrow the project would start "very soon," but did not give a specific date.
The November 2000 branch library bond measure provides the city with $212 million over 10 years to rebuild six new libraries and renovate and expand 14 others. The bond monies have been designated specifically for facility construction. The November 2004 library parcel tax secured an additional $6.2 million annually for library materials, equipment, staffing, and programs.
For branch library updates, call 408.535.8450.
