Library funding arrangement, Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay Review/Carina Woudenberg, 10/29/15. "Council approves library funding."

Conceptual new library - it's funded.

"A long-standing arrangement was made official last week when the Half Moon Bay City Council voted unanimously in favor of an agreement between the city of Half Moon Bay and County of San Mateo to fund a new $23 million library. 

The county has long agreed to foot 50 percent of the bill for the project, which boils down to nearly $11 million from each entity. In addition, the Library Joint Powers Authority will contribute $50 per square foot for library furniture, equipment and technology.  “We are accepting $12 million from the county,” said Half Moon Bay Mayor Marina Fraser. “Let’s build a library, not a cheap one,” she added later. “Let’s build a library that every resident deserves.”

The Half Moon Bay City Council met at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 at the Ted Adcock Community Center for its regularly scheduled meeting. Mayor Marina Fraser and Councilmen Rick Kowalczyk and John Muller were in attendance. Councilwomen Deborah Penrose and Debbie Ruddock were absent.

During the meeting, the council: Approved (3-0): to direct staff to negotiate the possibility of sharing parking or creating additional parking for the city’s library project with Cabrillo Unified School District Board. Approved (3-0): to authorize the city manager to negotiate and execute a contract with David J. Powers and Associates for preparation of the California Environmental Quality Act materials for the Half Moon Bay library. 

Related articles, San Mateo Daily Journal, Samantha Weigel, 10/22/15."City affirms plan to split library costs: Half Moon Bay council to share $23M cost with county, seeking parking agreement with school." .... "The City Council met Tuesday to discuss the formal agreement that the county Board of Supervisors must also sign off on later next month. As a region previously served by three facilities spread across Half Moon Bay and the 10 communities in unincorporated areas overseen by the county, the Board of Supervisors and San Mateo County Library Joint Powers Authority agreed to pitch in. Planning and community outreach for the design of a state-of-the-art facility that could be nearly three times larger than the current 1971 facility in downtown Half Moon Bay are well underway. .... While hopeful construction will begin late next year, further community outreach is planned as staff is soliciting as much input as possible before finalizing a design, Gonzalez said." Fix Pacifica Reprint, Half Moon Bay Review/Carina Woudenberg, 10/1/15 "Library initiative heads to June ballot. Tax Protection Act would require 'super majority' council vote." (Nope, turns-out that wasn't deemed necessary and apparently is not happening.)  

Note graphic rendering from the Daily Journal article, from the Group 4 architecture research plus planning you tube, 2:12 minutes,"The Half Moon Bay Library Fly-through."

Posted by Kathy Meeh