Gilroy
– Thursday began early for Gilroy Librarian Lani Yoshimura. She
awoke at 3am and headed for Sacramento, where she and city
representatives met with state officials in hopes of gaining an
edge in a highly competitive grant process that could provide $14
million for a new city library.
Gilroy – Thursday began early for Gilroy Librarian Lani Yoshimura. She awoke at 3am and headed for Sacramento, where she and city representatives met with state officials in hopes of gaining an edge in a highly competitive grant process that could provide $14 million for a new city library. Yoshimura and the city do not want to take any chances, with dozens of cities across the state vying for the last quarter of a $360-million state bond issue.
“We went to talk with them about our grant and press some key points,” Yoshimura said. That included allaying concerns about the way the city decided to build a new library where the current one stands.
“They wanted us to go through a big public process,” Yoshimura said, “but the city already went through that process with the civic center. It was done, but it was less splashy than other places.”
Yoshimura believes “that little ding” caused the library to narrowly miss out on funding in the first two cycles of the grant process. More than 60 cities have applied in each of the three rounds for the funding, which requires the city to provide one third of the project funds. The city has about $7 million, $5 million from the city’s library development fees, and $2 million from county library funds, according to Bill Headley, city facilities manager.
The new facility, estimated to cost about $20 million, is one of the more expensive projects jockeying for state money.
The current building, opened in 1975, was designed to handle 85,000 books, magazines and other media. It currently holds 135,000.
“It’s not at all a surprise that a new library is needed,” said County Librarian Melinda Cervantes. “We must have had 15 book trucks sitting with books and we have no shelves to put them on.”
With the aid of the grant, the city could construct a 53,500-square-foot facility, four times the size of the current building, according to Yoshimura. Such a facility could handle the projected burst in population, predicted to reach 70,000 by 2020. The city currently has about 46,000 residents.
Even if the city misses out on this round of grants, it would have first priority for funding if voters approve additional state monies for library construction. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has already signed off on legislation that would provide an additional $600 million for such projects. State residents will vote on the measure in June 2006.
Even as the city lobbies for a new facility, the county system – which operates the libraries in Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and seven other cities in Santa Clara County – grapples with a budget crisis that has already forced the system to cut back.
“I showed up on a Monday and it was closed,” said 25-year patron Moses Valise Thursday. “I was surprised. It’s where I usually spend my free time.”
The reduced five-day schedule took effect Oct. 11 in response to a $1.1 million county library budget shortfall. A state-implemented budget cut cost the system more than 40 percent of its operating budget in 1994. A subsequent measure passed that year, scheduled to end in June, established a $33 tax per single-family parcel to support the system. Members of the Santa Clara County Library Joint Power Authority attempted in March to pass another measure, but the vote fell short of the required two-thirds approval.
A hiring freeze went into effect in January and the system faces more cuts if voters fail to approve an increase of the $33 tax before it expires in June 2005, according to Yoshimura.
“We won’t be open as many hours, there will be longer lines, and fewer new materials,” she said, acknowledging the ultimate irony – the city could end up with a state-of-the-art facility and not enough money to fully operate it.
The state will announce grant winners on Nov. 29.
Gilroy Library
• Hours of operation
Tues. – 1-9pm
Wed. – Thurs. 10am-9pm
Fri. – Sat. 10am-6pm
• Library offers CDs, DVDS, videos and publications in Spanish and Asian languages.
