For now, residents will have to be satisfied with the current
San Benito County Free Library
– even with $800,000 sitting in the county’s coffers and
millions of dollars available from state grants.
For now, residents will have to be satisfied with the current San Benito County Free Library – even with $800,000 sitting in the county’s coffers and millions of dollars available from state grants.
The next deadline for San Benito County to apply for a portion of $110 million in state library grants is March, but the county can not apply.
“We have to have the property first. That’s what precedes the actual application (for state library grant funds)” County Administrative Officer Gil Solorio said.
The county hopes to apply for a third round of grant funding, worth about $90 million, in January 2004.
The county missed the first round of state library grant awards in June when $130 million was awarded to 13 California libraries, including $20 million to the San Mateo Main Library and $15.5 million to the Alameda Main Library.
In all, $350 million is available from the state for use in library construction and renovation, with 65 percent of the costs from the state and 35 percent in local matching funds.
The county has found a potential site for a new library and is negotiating with the property owner, San Benito County Supervisor Rita Bowling said.
“As long as the grant money is out there and available, we’re going to apply,” Bowling said. “We’re going to have a new library. We need a new library; we need one desperately.”
The county set aside $800,000 at the Aug. 5 budget hearings when the YMCA of San Benito County was close to buying a 23-acre lot near Marguerite Maze Middle School as part of the proposed Community Square project. The project would have included a new library, but in August, negotiations with the property owner collapsed.
Since then, county officials and the YMCA have been independently seeking new sites. YMCA officials are still focused on acquiring land for the Community Square project.
To be eligible for the grant money, the county must show proof of ownership of the property or a “demonstration of control” over property for a new library.
However, during the YMCA’s negotiations, county officials disagreed on where a new county library should be built. Some officials thought it should be centrally located in downtown Hollister while others wanted the new library to be part of the Community Square.
The county desperately needs a new library, County Librarian Jo Wahdan said
“The library we’re in is very inadequate. The parking is an issue – people double-park to drop off their children,” Wahdan said. “We’ve just run out of space. There’s no more additional floor space for more shelving or tables or chairs… The library is not adequate to serve the needs of the community we have.”
The current library, located on Fifth Street, was built 40 years ago and measures 11,230 square feet. It does not have adequate electrical capacity for new computers and has run out of shelf space for new books, Wahdan said.
However, with the state facing a $23.6 billion budget deficit, budget cuts in January could affect the county’s chances of pursuing a new library project.
“(State budget cuts) would definitely impact this county,” Solorio said. “That could possibly affect the board’s current intent to build a new library.”
The competition for the state library grant money is tight, with a estimated ratio of $4 awarded to every $1 sought, said Richard Hall, the state library bond act manager.
“It’s a significant effort to apply,” Hall said. “It’s a significant project that’s multi-million-dollar and will serve your community for a number of years, and you’re requesting state funds. An applicant needs to really define project costs as precisely as possible.”
