• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Measure Would Help Fund Three Contra Costa Libraries

Posted on: Monday, 15 May 2006, 09:03 CDT

By Theresa Harrington, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.

May 15--Children and adults in three Contra Costa County cities could enjoy spacious new libraries in the near future if voters approve Proposition 81 -- a $600 million bond measure on the June 6 ballot.

The measure, placed on the ballot by the Legislature, would grant money to communities across the state that want to build new libraries or renovate old ones.

Half of the money is earmarked for applicants such as Antioch, Walnut Creek and San Ramon, which applied for grants from the $350 million library bond passed in 2000, but didn't get funded because money ran out.

Antioch and Walnut Creek expect to have top priority for funding, based on the "outstanding" ratings their applications received. San Ramon, which received a "very good" rating, also has a reasonable chance of getting the money necessary to help build a new library.

Because facilities share materials, all residents who use the county library system would benefit if new libraries are built, said Alan Smith, county campaign spokesman for Prop. 81.

"This is one of the things that really strengthens the system no matter where you live," he said, "because you get much larger collections and they're available for everybody, even if you're in one of the smaller areas that can't afford a new library right now."

Numerous organizations have endorsed the measure, including the Walnut Creek City Council, local school districts and the Democrat and Republican clubs in Rossmoor.

Opponents include the California Taxpayer Protection Committee and the National Tax Limitation Committee. The state group argues in the June voter guide that politicians should curb spending on programs such as welfare for illegal immigrants to free up money for libraries, instead of asking taxpayers to fund the facilities.

Lew Uhler, president of the National Tax Limitation Committee, said the Legislature's infrastructure bond measure plans for November make him leery of passing a $600 million library bond measure in June.

"We should go slowly with anything other than the most pressing needs of the state," he said. "There are so many very special interest assaults on the fiscal integrity of California and I think we need to get our priorities sorted out."

Bond measure supporters say libraries are a priority that can't be ignored. Many state libraries built decades ago are not meeting the needs of today's larger, information-hungry population, they say.

Walnut Creek's 9,200-square-foot downtown library built in 1961, for example, is woefully inadequate, said City Manager Mike Parness.

"The deficiencies in our current downtown library are so numerous that it's actually difficult to talk about what's right about it," he said. "It doesn't meet any of the current standards for circulation or technology."

The city has asked for $18.2 million to help build a 42,000-square-foot, $43.5 million library in Civic Park. While Walnut Creek is counting on a state grant to help fund it, the City Council has committed to building a new library by 2010, with or without bond funding.

"The passage of Proposition 81 is really critical to the city and our ability to move forward quickly without having to deal with some very difficult (budget) decisions," Parness said.

Antioch is hoping for $15.1 million to help build a 48,426-square-foot library costing $25.8 million in the southeast part of town. San Ramon, meanwhile, has applied for $15.9 million to construct a 50,358-square-foot Civic Center library with a $24.8 million price tag.

Walnut Creek voters turned down a citywide $21 million library bond measure in November. It needed two-thirds voter approval to pass, but received slightly less than that.

Prop. 81, however, could pass with a majority vote. With only one other measure on the June ballot, Parness said the library bond appears well-positioned for success.

"I think to most people, it will be attractive, because libraries are generally acknowledged as having value to everyone," Parness said. "And it's not like the state's picking up the tab for local governments. The communities are giving funds and contributing. It's a good program. It's the kind of stuff the state should be doing."

Statewide, the money could help provide space for more homework centers and for literacy programs to serve the 3 million English-speaking Californians who can't read or write, said Les Spahnn, campaign manager for Prop. 81 in Sacramento.

Although some critics say libraries are becoming obsolete as computers become more prevalent, Spahnn said the opposite is true. New libraries would include technology centers, making computers more widely available to those who can't afford them at home, he said.

"The very fact that we are in the age of the Internet makes libraries more relevant," he said. "One of the things librarians can do is show you how to access the materials you need to do your library research over the Internet."

The state grants would supply 65 percent of library funding, while local jurisdictions would provide 35 percent. About $25 million would be set aside for joint projects between libraries and schools.

Besides building or renovating libraries, grant money could be used to buy land, furniture and equipment. It could not be used to buy books, or pay for financing fees, administrative costs or operations.

Theresa Harrington covers the Walnut Creek area. Reach her at 925-945-4764 or tharrington@cctimes.com.

LIBRARY BOND

-- PROPOSITION 81: $600 million library construction and renovation bond

-- SUPPORTERS: Yes for Libraries, www.yesforlibraries.com

-- POSITION: Builds new community libraries and renovates old ones, encourages school-library partnerships and fights illiteracy without raising taxes.

-- OPPONENTS: California Taxpayer Protection Committee, www.protecttaxpayers.com

-- POSITION: We should not borrow money to pay for libraries while politicians are spending taxpayer dollars on nonessential programs and planning bond measures for higher priority projects.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)

More News in this Category