A task force has been put in place to raise necessary funds for the Malibu Library Renewal Project.
By Olivia Damavandi / Assistant Editor
With the preliminary designs of the $5.6 million Malibu Library Renewal Project in place, the Library Fundraising Task Force met last week to discuss the project’s timeline and anticipated $400,000 shortfall in funding.
The next meeting is scheduled to take place Oct. 8 at the Malibu Library, during which the task force, comprised of library staff, city officials and residents, will announce its official members and strategize fundraising methods. Members of the public who would like to join the task force are required to attend the upcoming meeting.
The Malibu Library Renovation Project is the result of an uproar that took place in 2004 when it was discovered that nearly a half million dollars Malibu had been paying in property taxes per year was not being spent on services within the city, but was going to other areas of the county’s library system.
The renovation seeks to remedy the library’s limited access for the physically disabled, inadequate lighting, an outdated collection, antiquated technology, lack of security, and lack of programs and resources for various age groups.
The project will be financed in part by Los Angeles County, through funds set aside from property taxes intended for library services that total $3.6 million. The city predicts an additional $1.6 million in funding by January 2011, which means an additional $400,000 will need to be raised to complete the project.
If the city council at its Oct. 12 meeting approves architecture firm LPA, Inc. to move forward with design development, the project will go out for bid in May, begin construction in July and reach completion in July 2011.
Administrative Services Director Reva Feldman said on Tuesday in a telephone interview that $400,000 would be the necessary fundraising amount only if the bid for construction matches the city’s estimated $4.1 million.
“That $400,000 assumes that’s going to be the actual cost when we go to bid,” Feldman said at the meeting. “It means the day we open the library we will have zero money in our bank. We’ll have to wait an additional year for money to come in.
“The numbers don’t include enhancement services, so it behooves us to raise as much money as we can,” Feldman said.
The task force plans to explore grant options and encourage fundraisers of different donation levels. Ideas include the personalization of Malibu tiles in exchange for donations.
The proposed design plan for Malibu Library would retain its existing side entrance, double the size of its community room and add a kitchen to it, and divide the library into separate areas for teens, children and adults. Other added amenities include a copy center; an outdoor garden space; storage room; three self-checkout stations; a staff break room; a family restroom and a Friend of the Malibu Library bookstore.
As a whole, the library would echo the storyline of Malibu’s history. It would incorporate elements and old photos of the Adamson House, Malibu tiles, equestrian life, the Malibu Trading Post, Native Americans and the first Malibu families, among other historical elements. The interior design will include elements of the sun, sand and water.
The library’s current exterior will be colorfully remodeled using Trespa, a sustainable material that is also graffiti-proof. The exterior will also contain a protective glass railing and new indigenous plants.
Aside from minimal changes to its interior design, the 16,530-square-foot library has physically remained unchanged since it was built in 1970. It currently offers an adult reading area; a children’s area; a meeting room with a 125-person capacity; adult and children reference and readers’ advisory; toddler and preschool story times; summer reading programs for older children; a coin-operated copy machine; a word processor and public access Internet computers.