Palo Alto voters passed a $76 million bond measure (Measure N) in November 2008 to fund a new Mitchell Park Library & Community Center, a renovation of Downtown Library, and an expansion and renovation of Main Library. The City also has allocated $4 million in infrastructure funds to complete an extensive historic renovation of the College Terrace Library and adjacent childcare center.
College Terrace Library closed in July 2009 for construction that will last until fall of 2010. See the latest project update for details as the work progresses.
The design for the Downtown Library is now complete. The project will be bid this April, and the City Council will award the construction contract in June. The Library will close to the public on April 24 to prepare the building for asbestos removal in May. The collection will be stored, furniture moved out, and staff relocated to other libraries. The 12-month construction project will begin in June. Join Mayor Pat Burt and Group 4 Architecture at the construction kick-off event on Friday, April 23, Noon-1 p.m., at Downtown Library.
The final plan check for the 56,000 square foot Mitchell Park Library & Community Center is underway, and the project soon will go out to bid. After Council awards the contract in June, construction will begin in July. The current library will close on June 5, but on June 28, staff will open a temporary library in the former auditorium at Cubberley Community Center to provide service for the two years the new library is under construction. The Mitchell Park Community Center closes on June 12, and teen services will operate from Cubberley Community Center starting next fall.
A community celebration and ground-breaking for the new joint facility at Mitchell Park will take place on Saturday, June 12, from 1-3 p.m. The festivities will include entertainment, activities for kids, displays about the new building, free ice cream, and of course, a ceremonial event to signify the start of construction. Don’t miss it.
Later this year, the design for the improvements at Main Library will resume. Construction will begin in 2012 after the new Mitchell Park Library opens. When the renovation of Main Library is complete in 2013, we will have achieved a major milestone with new and improved libraries and a community center to meet the needs of the community for the decades ahead.
