The current county library building dates from the mid-60s, it has served us for 50 years. It is poorly-located, much too small and hopelessly out of date. If we made the commitment tomorrow, we would not have a new library for five years, the problem around here is that tomorrow never comes; we are always years and a day away.
There is no reason to wait, step one is for San Benito County and Hollister to make a joint commitment to build a new library and to organize and open a library building fund to finance the project.
While we are accumulating funds we can make plans, argue about the design, location, technology, name, political organization, operational finances and everything right down to the color of the bathroom tiles as we always do, but we will have at least taken the essential steps – accumulating the money and finding a location.
Sixteen years ago, the State of California passed a several hundred-million-dollar library bond. It paid a 66 percent share for more than 40 new or extensively renovated libraries, but we did not even apply because we had no money and no plans. If that happened again, we’d be stuck again because we’re in the same position we were then.
Our best strategy is to qualify for another bond, if one ever comes. If a bond does not come we can keep going do it ourselves. However, to get ready we need funding and a proposed location that meets the state’s criteria for a library – land, parking, access, centralized, and available public transportation.
We have a perfect place for a new library if it meets the seismic safety requirements for a building of that type – the area between the county administrative offices and probation now occupied by the old jail and two old buildings. Since this is, I believe, pubic land, it can be donated at no cost, it is centralized at the transportation hub near an under-utilized parking garage in the heart of the city and county.
So, make the commitment, start a building fund, and examine that property as soon as possible to see if it meets the seismic and building criteria. If it does, the county should reserve it for future use as a new library, if not find another location. Simultaneously, the county and Hollister should sit down and start pounding out a financial and political plan. The answer is obvious, the new library will have to be a combination San Benito County (county) and Hollister (municipal) public library.
Meanwhile, we can accumulate the funds needed to do everything from evaluating properties to getting conceptual proposals. Commitment and money will make the project go; with them the project is easy, without them the project is impossible.
Let’s stop waiting for tomorrow and take our future into our own hands today.