GILROY
– In the third and final round of library grant distributions,
Gilroy is one of 72 applicants vying for a share of about $91
million to renovate its quarter-century-old library.
GILROY – In the third and final round of library grant distributions, Gilroy is one of 72 applicants vying for a share of about $91 million to renovate its quarter-century-old library.
The state Office of Library Construction received applications for library grants from across California, with the amount requested totaling $586 million. The average grant request was approximately $8 million.
“The money available in the third round is greatly reduced (from the first two rounds), but we’re hoping that our consultants can make that difference for us,” Councilman Bob Dillon said.
In December, the city hired The Wilson Group for $20,000 to improve its grant application that failed to garner library improvement funds from the state during the first two rounds of awards. The final round got under way last week.
Dillon, Gilroy’s representative on the joint powers authority for the Santa Clara County library system, said the consultant’s fee is a small price to pay if it results in Gilroy receiving the $12.7 million needed.
“They have been very successful in obtaining grants for the people they work for,” Dillon said.
The city is also to contributing $6 million to build a new, larger library.
In the second round of grant applications, more than 60 agencies requested about $541 million, while $108 million was given out last fall. About $150 million was awarded in the first round in 2002.
The applications will now undergo an eligibility review expected to be finished sometime this spring, and winners will likely be announced this summer.
If Gilroy fails again to get funding, one option to accommodate library patrons could be to open a smaller, second branch in another part of the city.
“It’s a concept that we discussed,” Dillon said. “We’d rather get funding and build the library as we planned, but you have to be prepared to discuss alternatives.”
The current Gilroy library, built in 1975, occupies a 13,000-square-foot space and is the busiest per square foot in the county.
The projected building would be 52,000 square feet, large enough to meet space needs per person through the next 20 to 30 years.
California voters approved $350 million in 2000 to renovate and build libraries throughout the state, to be distributed in three rounds.
