Calabasas captures $8.2 million in grant for new city library

The city, after

trying to get a

major grant

for its new library for more than two years, finally

hits the jackpot

By Michael Picarella

Acorn Staff Writer

The city of Calabasas last week was awarded a state grant in the amount of $8.2 million to construct a new municipal library.

The city now leases library space at 23975 Park Sorrento behind The Commons shopping center. The new library will be built as part of the new civic center across the street.

Calabasas has been trying to acquire a state grant from the California Public Library and Renovation Board for about two years and this is clearly a victory for the citizens of Calabasas.

"Dreams are attainable," said Calabasas City Councilwoman Lesley Devine after learning about the grant.

"I am extremely pleased that Calabasas was able to secure this significant level of funding," said Calabasas Mayor James Bozajian. "This accomplishment will allow us to construct a quality, state-of-the-art library to serve our community."

Work will begin on the first phase of the civic center/library as early as next year, according to Calabasas special projects coordinator Matthew Hayden. The first phase will be the library, he said. The entire civic center facility could be completed by 2006, Hayden said.

"The grant is structured such that when we incur project costs, we’ll be immediately eligible for reimbursement," Hayden said. "You don’t receive any money up front. You start construction, and once we’ve incurred expenses, then we submit them to the state."

California will then review the figures and make sure that the costs were identified in the original grant, he said.

The city’s application received an "outstanding" rating from the grant review panel, according to Hayden.

"Only one out of five applicants received these funds," said Calabasas Library Commission vice president Fred Gaines. "Our award is recognition of the great library program that Calabasas has proposed. The ball is now in the city’s court to get it built."

The Calabasas City Council already said the city would pay 35 percent of the library cost, according to Hayden. The grant covers the other 65 percent, he said.

The library will operate in conjunction with Las Virgenes Unified School District and will include a homework center with tutoring programs, the latest textbooks, electronic access to homework assignments via school Websites and possibly other services.

Calabasas had previously applied for the state grant without a joint-use agreement with LVUSD. That application was denied, even though it was labeled as "outstanding." After creating a joint-use agreement with the school district earlier this year and re-applying, the state grant board determined that the new application deserved first priority status and the grant was approved.

The state grant is the result of Proposition 14 that passed in 2000. That initiative established a funding source to build new libraries or to refurbish existing ones throughout California.

During its early years as a city, Calabasas could have joined Los Angeles County or the neighboring cities of Agoura Hills or Westlake Village, but council members instead set a long-term strategy for building a library just for Calabasas, according to City Councilman Dennis Washburn. After establishing the Friends of the Calabasas Library and the Calabasas Library Committee (which later became the Calabasas Library Commission), the city leased space in small buildings with hopes to one day have a library of its own, Washburn said. He’s very pleased that hard work and ambition have paid off.

Washburn added, "This will be the cornerstone of our enhanced civic center development process that will enlarge our land holdings, the number and nature of the buildings we need, and the focus and drive we put into building the Calabasas Town Center."