Council, community groups endorse Measure N
Library expansion enjoys wide support
By Kara Chalmers
Measure N on the March 7 ballot, the $15 million bond measure to renovate and expand the Saratoga Community Library, has the support of the City Council and many community groups. The council voted unanimously to endorse the measure at its Feb. 16 meeting.
In November, the City Council, on the recommendation of the Library Commission, agreed to put the measure on the ballot. The measure has had no formal opposition.
So far, the campaign committee for the bond has raised $39,000 in contributions, according to Tom Blaisdell, the treasurer for the committee. And so far, the measure has the support of the California Native Plants Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter; the Good Government Group; the American Association of University Women, Los Gatos-Saratoga Chapter; the League of Women Voters in Los Gatos and Saratoga; the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce; the Saratoga Ministerial Association; the Sierra Club, Guadalupe Chapter; the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries and the Saratoga High School PTSA.
If the bond passes, the cost to taxpayers will average about $12 per year per $100,000 in assessed property value over 30 years, according to Brian Quint, the attorney hired by the city to help with the measure.
Since library commissioners decided not to spend money on an architect's rendering until the bond measure passes, it is impossible to know what a new library would look like or how large it would be. But, according to the Library Commission's 1999 Needs Assessment report, the existing 18,000-square-foot facility could be expanded to between 46,000 and 49,000 square feet.
If passed, the bond will specifically be used for renovating and expanding the library in its current location. According to the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries group, renovations will include space for more books, more space for children's programs, adequate seating for patrons, quiet study areas, new lighting and improved access to fire exits. The funds also would be used to ensure compliance with new earthquake standards and to update electrical wiring for computers.
An oversight committee of Saratogans will review the planning and construction of a new library, including maintaining the surrounding Heritage Orchard, according to the Friends.
The library currently houses 75 percent more volumes than it was designed for and checkouts have almost tripled in the past 15 years. Many shelves have been installed to accommodate the collection, which limits seating and browsing room.
A coalition of the Library Commission, the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries and the members of the Saratoga Community Library Foundation decided to ask the City Council to put the measure on the ballot after a November poll showed that more than two-thirds of Saratogans would support the bond measure.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
