This article was written by BenitoLink intern Jenna Ellis
The San Benito County Free Library expansion in Hollister is projected to start in September 2024, according to an Aug. 9 presentation to the County Board of Supervisors. Public Works Administrator Steve Loupe said the project should be completed in January 2026.
Loupe said the expansion is funded through a $10 million grant from the California State Library, which requires the county to match $5 million.
He noted that the county and Friends of the Library, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the welfare of the county library system, met with architects to discuss the project’s goals.
Loupe also said the group is currently working on releasing a request for proposals to have an architect create the “bridging documents” for a design level package, due Aug. 31.
That package will become the framework for a design-build construction team in which the contractor and the architects work together on the project. He said this process is used to avoid making any changes to an approved design.
Loupe said the evaluation team would select an architect Sept. 7 and the Board of Supervisors will consider a contract Sept. 26.
A conceptual design presented to the supervisors includes the library taking over the rest of the 4,000 square feet of the building that currently houses the county Board of Education. It also includes an additional 3,000 square feet that is behind the Wapple House Museum at the corner of Fifth and West streets.
“I think it’s really exciting,” Supervisor Mindy Sotelo said. “I love libraries and I think they’re kind of the heart of our community, so it’s really neat to see this happening”
Sotelo added that she supports the idea of asking the city of Hollister to provide extra square footage needed for the expansion.
The library, which was built in 1960, has a public service area of just over 7,000 square feet. According to the industry standard, the current library is equipped to serve about 7,000 people, less than 12% of the county’s current population.
Damon Felice, a contractor assisting the Coalition for a New Community Library and Resource Center in its efforts to expand or construct a new library, previously told BenitoLink, “A second story is not practical to build on the current existing building, as it would be easier to build a brand new building.” He said it was more likely the library would stay one story but continue to expand.
In 2017, the county was told that for a basic, state-of-the-art, 60,000-square-foot TEL center would be $47 million.
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