I am pleased to report that the Sunnyvale Library of the Future project has been approved to go forward as a funding request to voters. Through their unanimous vote on Tuesday evening, the City Council completed all steps required to place a general obligation bond for the new library on the November 6, 2007 election ballot.

This is a momentous step for the City of Sunnyvale. By all reports, this is the first general obligation bond to be placed on a Sunnyvale election ballot in decades. If the ballot measure is passed by two-thirds of the voters, the new library project will be one of the most significant public facility projects in Sunnyvale.

For community members, a new library could make a big difference. Sunnyvale and its surrounding communities are great proponents of education and the opportunity for self improvement, both symbolic of what the public library has to offer each and every community member. The new library would offer the upgrade and expansion of the children’s reading and learning areas, provide a greater and more diverse collection of books and other materials, and more computers for children, seniors and the general public. Quiet reading areas, study rooms, and community meeting rooms, all of which are missing in the current facility, would be available along with expanded educational and cultural programs.

Many people love the warmth and friendliness of the existing 1960’s brick building with the signature stained glass window and the inspiring man “Out to Lunch” statue in front of the library. Whether these two signature Sunnyvale Public Library features move to the new facility is open to possibilities. What we do know is that the existing building has been expanded twice in the past and would be too expensive and inefficient to expand again. The building has aged and cannot meet the demands of a very busy public library, although it could be renovated as future office space.

Over 2,100 library users come to the Sunnyvale Public Library on average on a daily basis, making it one of the busiest libraries in California per hour for its size and population category, according to statistics reported to the California State Library. The Sunnyvale Public Library had over 2.2 million checkouts last year with approximately 300,000 of those checkouts going to non-Sunnyvale residents.

Some have expressed surprise that nonresidents can use the Sunnyvale Public Library. However, Sunnyvale residents also go to other libraries in the area; and last year they checked out approximately 1 million items at those other libraries, thus addressing their unmet needs in Sunnyvale.

Council’s decision to go forward with a ballot measure to fund the construction of the new library will address the community’s needs now and well into the future. A library as busy as Sunnyvale’s requires more space and a modern physical infrastructure with upgraded electrical, plumbing and other building systems to support a growing community.

The new library, if approved, will be located at Olive Ave. and Charles St. adjacent to the current library building. The City purchased the site for $17 million in 2000 for future Civic Center expansion. A portion of the site, which was vacant land, was approved by the City for lease last year for a community garden. The lease was for a period of 5 years. Since the garden has been very successful on the site, Council has mandated that the new library design creatively incorporate the concept of a community garden. The library and garden community will work together to accomplish the Council’s goals.

The design shown from past meetings is only a concept. After approval of the funding and the establishment of a contract with an architectural design firm, the actual design of the building will be developed. There will be community involvement in the design process, as well.

The preliminary plan for the library is for an 116,000 s.f. building with the option to expand up to 143,500 s.f., depending on the availability of funding. The City is highly committed to environmental sustainability. The City Council’s direction to staff is that the new library should be a green building designed to achieve a certification level of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System) Platinum and carbon neutral. LEED Platinum is the highest of designations in the point system developed by the US Green Building Council to measure environmental sustainability in buildings.

If the $108 million general obligation bond measure passes in November, the design process, including public input will begin early in 2008 with completion of the library in 2010/2011. The general obligation bond would cost an average of $19.52 per $100,000 in assessed valuation.

Library staff is committed to providing the best service possible given the current facility and resources. Please continue to use our services and give us your feedback. Library staff also will eagerly await the community’s decision regarding funding. We will make preparations to move forward in a timely manner if two-thirds of the voters approve funding for the Sunnyvale Library of the Future.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me. I will be happy to provide factual information about the project and the library, to the best of my ability.

Happy 4th of July everyone! Or, Happy Independence Day! We will be making an appearance in the next few hours at Washington Park for the City’s annual Independence Day celebration and picnic. The Mayor plans to give his State of the City address. I’ve heard that he will mention the Sunnyvale Library of the Future. I’m very excited to hear his speech. I hope people will come by our booth to ask about the project, too.

This is probably one of our last appearances at a public event where we can easily talk about the project. It is possible that discussions about the new library project will shift to campaign mode in a few months and that’s not something we do in the library. The library advocates will launch a campaign to build the library. Staff will only supply the facts about the project, such as why such a project is proposed, what problems will the new library resolve, how much it will cost, how long it will take. Staff cannot be involved in advocacy.

Oh, didn’t I tell you?!!!? The City Council voted on June 19 to move forward with the next stage of the Sunnyvale Library of the Future! By that I mean that Council voted to direct staff to complete the work required to include a funding request to the voters for the new library on the November 2007 election ballot. The funding for such a project is the issue now. The need for the new library has been well established. We ran out of space to support the Sunnyvale community many years ago, as noted in a study as far back as 1992. Results of a current, comprehensive study of community needs through 2030, indicate that Sunnyvale needs a library of approximately 143,500 square feet.

There are impediments to improving the current library facility and it would be more expensive then building a new library. Having added on to the building through two expansion projects, along with the brick construction of the library, the building is a series of adjoining rooms that do not flow very well for library use and leave little room for the improvements needed. New technologies require wired access, electrical connections, hardwiring as well, all of which are extremely difficult to add in the current building. In fact, staff has been told that we are at capacity for phones and computers. There’s no logical way to make new connections that are needed. We are at absolute capacity for people too. If you have seen the children’s room, you know it is cramped and not so attractive.

So on July 17, we will take to Council the actual wording for an election ballot measure to fund the new library!!! The measure will most likely talk a little bit about the "why" in terms of what are the library needs and then get to the point of "what" would be approved. Due to the cost of such a project, the City is now proposing to build an 116,000 s.f. library at the corner of Olive and Charles across from City Hall. The new library is projected to cost $108M, which based on a community survey, seems to be about what community members would be willing to pay for their new library in Sunnyvale.

There are temporary buildings on the site and Council leased the vacant part of the expansion space for the project to the community garden last year, for a five-year period. Council has indicated they would like for staff and the community garden group to work collaboratively. They would like for the architects to creatively incorporate the concept of a community garden in the new library plan. When the architects are hired for the actual library plan, the various needs of the library, the site requirements, entry/exit, parking needs, and the community garden will all be taken into account. Community meetings will also help staff and the architects review all needs for the project.

It should be noted that the cost estimate anticipates that it takes a few years to plan and complete construction of the building. In the meantime, the construction costs tend to escalate. Also, the City Council is committed to building an environmentally sustainable or "green" library, so there are upfront costs that have to be taken into account for these additional features. There is a possibility that the State of California will have additional grant funds for libraries through a proposed statewide ballot measure. If that occurs and Sunnyvale is a successful applicant, then the library could be built at the recommended size of approximately 143,500 s.f. A lot of the possibility for obtaining additional funds depends on approval processes as well as timing.

So, if you happen to be in the area today, please stop by our booth and talk with us about the Sunnyvale Library of the Future. We will have lots of interesting things for families and children at our booth, too. Also, this may be the last chance at one of these events to say hello to our Head of Children’s Services, Betsy Wachter. After some 30 wonderful years of serving children and families in Sunnyvale, Betsy will be retiring from what she has said has been a truly rewarding career.

See you at the picnic…