Palo Alto voters passed a $76 million bond measure (Measure N) in November 2008 to fund major improvements to the Mitchell Park, Downtown and Main libraries and the Mitchell Park Community Center. The City also has allocated $4 million in infrastructure funds to complete an extensive historic renovation of the College Terrace Library and childcare center.
The College Terrace Library closed in July 2009 and will reopen by the fall of 2010. Construction is underway – see the latest project update for details as the work progresses.
Construction documents for the renovation of Downtown Library are 90% complete and under review for building code compliance. This one-year construction project is on schedule to begin in the spring of 2010.
The design development plans for a new 56,000 square foot Mitchell Park Library and Community Center to replace the two buildings currently on the site have been completed and approved. Work on the detailed construction documents is underway. The two-year construction project is planned to begin in summer of 2010.
The auditorium of the Cubberley Community Center will be converted into a temporary library to provide service while Mitchell Park Library is closed. The design for this facility is complete, and a contract for the construction will be awarded in December.
In 2011, design for the expansion and major remodel of Main Library will resume. Construction will begin after the new Mitchell Park Library opens. At the conclusion of this process in 2013, we will have modern libraries offering places for everyone in our community to gather and learn.
