Still no library for Oak Park

Oak Park High School began its term this year as scheduled, but without a library.

In July, the Los Angeles contractor that had been working on the new 10,000 square-foot library since summer of 2000 defaulted on a $2 million contract with Ventura County, leaving the job only slightly more than half finished and more than a year after its planned completion date.

Though the library’s collection was housed in a portable building for two years, this fall that space was converted to a classroom and the books were put in storage.

"The school district provided a building for the county for two years," said Marilyn Lippiatt, superintendent of Oak Park Unified School District. "The agreement was for only one year. We needed that building for classrooms and the county used that building as a library for one year longer than planned."

For now, the school and Oak Park will have to make do without a library until a new contractor is brought in by CNA Continental Casualty, the Illinois-based bondholder for the project, to finish the job.

In the meantime, Oak Park has been assisting students in using local public libraries and Lippiatt plans on appealing to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to allow students to use school libraries in neighboring communities such as Agoura Hills and Westlake.

"The bottom line is Oak Park should have it own library," said Lippiatt. "We’ve been patient for too long."

––Gregory Koteles