Not since 1979, when the Carl Luck Library in San Juan Bautista
was first built, has a coat of paint been applied. And it
showed.
Not since 1979, when the Carl Luck Library in San Juan Bautista was first built, has a coat of paint been applied. And it showed.
The library has not, in fact, had any major maintenance work in 24 years.
“It was time to do it,” said Pat Larkin, the library’s director. “It was in total disrepair – not only cosmetically, but it was for our health concerns as well because, you see, books are very dusty; they sit on the shelves and collect dust.”
The library walls, nostalgic in bold gold and orange tones – the popular colors of the 1970s – are being toned down in soft white with a peach tint to compliment the sage trim.
“It’s a warm color and I’m very happy with it,” Larkin said.
The library basically needed a major cleaning, she said, but finding the right time to do the maintenance work had to be planned around staff vacation schedules.
“We have wanted to do this for some time,” said San Juan City Manager Larry Cain. “The library workers had accumulated enough vacation time (that) we could close before Christmas vacation.”
Cain said maintenance workers had hoped to be finished by Jan. 8, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.
“We’re in the process of painting and replacing the fluorescent light bulbs, which is a major job because they’re way, way up in the air,” he said. “And we can’t have workers on ladders with the public around.”
Once the bulbs have been replaced and the painting is finished, the rug will be cleaned, Cain said. He added that it remains to be seen whether the city will replace the curtains.
“The cost to do this is $6,000 or more,” he said. “It’s all subject to how much paint they’ll use. I figure it could cost up $8,000, but that’s not a bad maintenance factor when you consider the time it was built.”
Larkin said the new look will be very inviting and pleasant.
“We’re excited about the whole thing,” she said.
