This week the Brentwood City Council, led by Mayor Bob Taylor, agreed to take the next step to construct a new and improved library in downtown Brentwood. City Manager Gus Vina presented the library project as one of four key initiatives at a Strategic Planning Workshop, and after due consideration the City Council instructed the City Staff to move forward.
The City Staff will now prepare a full staff report and timeline on the project and present it to the Council for approval. Once formal approval is received bids will be solicited on the project.
Each of the four city councilmembers went on record as supporting the library effort. At one point Mayor Taylor asked his fellow politicians to speak up with any reservations on the project. “Speak now, or forever hold your peace,” he said. After an appropriately lengthy silence the Mayor said “Now is the time to move on this (project).”
Funding plans for the project showed creativity on the part of City Staff. Over half of the library’s cost, $7.7 million, was allocated to the library project from previously sold joint-use bonds, which the city is required to spend on joint-use infrastructure projects. It is anticipated another $4.5 million, roughly, will be obtained by dedicating savings from bonds that were refinanced last year to the purchase of additional bonds.
The Workshop began with little fanfare at 8 am in the second story conference room in Brentwood’s Community Center. After the opening formalities city residents were able to address the Mayor, Council and Staff. The City Council limited the number of speakers, and a total of nine area residents stood and spoke to the gathering, including two in support of the new library, educator Mary Casey Black and Shannon Miller, President of the Brentwood Library Foundation.
City Manager Vina began the presentation by talking about the monies available to the City
Council, including discussions about the city’s reserves. He described the increases in revenue the city is experiencing. This increase in city revenue is due to rising property values and the increasing number of building permits the city is issuing.
Each of the City Councilmen in turn asked Vina detailed questions about the Library Project, probing the timing of the project, its scope and suitability for current and future Brentwood residents, and about the source of funds for the project.
The library is being created for the future of Brentwood at its build-out, and will include flexibility as a design requirement. Project phases and their estimated costs include Architecture/Design at $1.4 million, Construction at $10.9 million, Technology/Phones at $500,000, Furnishings at $1 million, and Relocation Expenses at $800,000.
“Adequate is not OK,” said Vice Mayor Joel Bryant. “We promised to build a library to be proud of, a pillar of the community.” Bryant went on to talk about the Library’s role in the arts community, quoting George Bernard Shaw: “Without art, the crudeness of reality would make life unbearable.”
No timetable has been set for City Staff to present the council with its report.
About the Brentwood Library Foundation
The Brentwood Library Foundation is a non-profit IRS 501c3 public benefit corporation formed in 2014. Its mission is to support the Brentwood Library’s programs and services through advocacy, fundraising, and by building relationships with others who share a passion for the Library’s work.
If you would like to contribute financially to the BLF to energize the effort to build a new library in Brentwood, send your check to Stephen Smith, Treasurer, BLF, care of the Brentwood Library, 104 Oak Street, Brentwood, CA 94513.
Note – this is a press release provided by the Brentwood Library Foundation
