By Emily Petillon
Staff Writer
The Manhattan Beach Public Library, used by many Mira Costa students, will undergo a $22 million renovation in January 2013.
The renovated library is expected to be a glass and steel, two-story, 21,500 square-foot building. It will include a homework center with group-study and tutoring rooms, an adult reading area, a teen area, a children’s section, a community meeting room and public computers.
“The county has wanted to do this for a long time because our library is the most used in the system,” said Manhattan Beach City Council member Amy Howorth.
Demolition of the existing building is scheduled to begin on Jan. 31, 2013, and the reopening is scheduled for Dec. 31, 2014. To achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold level certification, the project was designed using sustainable features to improve energy and water use.
“When I first heard about the renovation, I had some trepidation,” sophomore Stephanie Caridad said. “The construction schedule means that we will be without a library for a large chunk of the next few years. But I’m really excited.”
Many librarians and patrons alike believe that the time for a new library is long overdue. Manhattan Beach has one of the most active children’s departments in the county with around 8,600 kids in the city having library cards.
“A new library is necessary,” MBPL children’s librarian Melissa Messner said. “The space we have doesn’t work. We call it being architecturally challenged.”
The budget for the project is $22,571,000, and $11,141,000 will come from funding set-aside from Manhattan Beach property taxes collected for operations/improvements, and $11,430,000 will come from bonds issued by the county on its excess library services property tax funds.
“There couldn’t be better time to fix a 35-year-old facility,” City Manager Dave Carmany said.
While the library is being renovated, there will be a bookmobile to provide necessary library services, and there will be the regularly scheduled Toddler Story times on twice a week. Part-time workers will receive hours at other Los Angeles County libraries.
“I will still come in on Tuesday and Thursday for story-time,” Messner said.
The city hired Johnson/Favaro, a Culver City architectural firm that will provide $1.2 million in services to the project.
“I’m really excited with this new library,” Messner said, “They are really dedicated to making it a gift to the whole community.”
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