OAKLEYOakley took a primary step towards securing its personal standalone library by agreeing to demolish an outdated sheriff’s substation constructing the place it might be positioned.
The Metropolis Council accepted the settlement with Contra Costa County on a 3-to-0 vote final week with Vice Mayor Aaron Meadows recusing himself and Sue Higgins absent.
Beneath the settlement, the previous Delta Patrol Sheriff’s Substation at 210 O’Hara Ave. will probably be torn down with the hope that a new library might be positioned on the website. For some 5 many years, the Delta Patrol Substation has occupied the Nineteen Twenties-era stucco constructing that after housed Oakley Elementary College and later town’s library earlier than it moved to a shared house at Freedom Excessive College in 1999.
“Our metropolis has modified and grown considerably since that library was positioned at Freedom Excessive College and at the moment we’re virtually a metropolis of 45,000 folks,” Metropolis Supervisor Josh McMurray advised the council. “Now we have a significantly totally different demographic than we did again then. And the enter we’re getting from residents is that they have the next expectation of companies offered within the metropolis. And a few of these companies might be completed with a brand new library.”
McMurray stated town was ready to current choices for a library within the close to future however most of them required a undertaking website.
“So, this settlement is essential when it comes to permitting us to then additional pursue these financing choices,” he stated.
Beneath the settlement, town and county would break up the estimated $400,000 demolition prices, although since there's a communications tower on the property, town must pay to switch it to a brand new house, McMurray stated.
The town would then have 36 months to safe capital and operational prices for a brand new library. If profitable, the county, which accepted the demolition final fall, would then deed the property to town, McMurray stated. If town fails in securing funding, although, it could be answerable for the complete demolition prices.
“The present scenario the place the library sits was all the time meant to be non permanent,” he stated. “However we’re approaching, , many years of that library being in its present scenario. The town library is infringing on house that may little question be utilized by Freedom Highschool college students.”
And although the library is keen so as to add further employees, there may be not sufficient house within the shared 3,000-square-foot facility to accommodate that, McMurry stated.
“There aren't any classrooms, there’s no house for giant occasions,” he stated. “There’s a restricted variety of computer systems. There’s no quiet research house, there may be extraordinarily restricted seating within the library.”
Supervisor Diane Burgis recalled talks about constructing a library when she was a metropolis councilwoman 9 years in the past and she or he says she stays dedicated to creating it occur.
“I do know there’s an enormous quantity of parents which are supportive of the library, together with myself,” she stated.
Burgis famous she has created a library basis, which is able to “kick in and determine the right way to assist Oakley pay for it.”
“I feel it’s time to get this achieved,” she stated. “I’ve tried to carry all of the instruments to assist Oakley construct this.”
A lot of different residents additionally spoke in favor.
“Libraries usually are not simply books,” former Oakley Mayor Claire Alaura stated. “They’ve by no means all the time simply been about books. They’re about folks.”
Alaura identified the worth of libraries as assembly locations for college kids and oldsters, assets for adults studying one other language or job searching and leisure for youngsters with free storytimes and extra.
Brittany Matous additionally supported a brand new library.
“By partnering with the county, town will be capable of create an exquisite standalone library house that may vastly profit our residents for generations to come back,” she stated.
Retired librarian Liz Fuller stated library use is vastly influenced by location and it’s time for Oakley to construct one.
“With the intention to discover funding for a brand new library we have now to show that there's a location for this in our group and that we have now assist of the Metropolis Council,” she stated, noting that funding may come from quite a lot of sources, together with state, federal authorities and grants.
Councilwoman Anissa Williams, who works subsequent to the Brentwood Library, famous libraries present way more than books, giving a way of group.
Councilman George Fuller, nevertheless, questioned the 2024 deadline for securing financing for a library and instructed town may mix with the county to carry medical, psychological well being and different companies in the identical constructing.
However the metropolis supervisor stated he doesn’t view the deadline as a problem and town will quickly be capable of carry again funding choices.
“I'd simply say this can be a dynamic course of,” McMurray added. “You already know, we’re on the very forefront of the method. We’re asking, ‘can we safe property to begin exploring all of those ideas?’ ”
The town supervisor additionally identified that taking up the previous substation property would permit town to safe a complete metropolis block off Primary Road.
“There may be lots of potential right here that we have now but to faucet into,” he stated.