El Centro Public Library opens its doors
EL CENTRO — With cheers and excitement from kids and adults, the El Centro Public Library opened the doors to its new building with a party and a ribbon cutting during the new city facility’s Opening Day ceremony, Thursday, November 10, in northern El Centro.
The library opening was described as a historic day for the City of El Centro by Marcela Piedra, outgoing City Manager. The total project cost was $16,225,000.
“I’m just thrilled that we have reached this day today and it’s very exciting,” she said. “I thank you all for being here and celebrating this day with us.
Mayor of El Centro, Tomás Oliva, said that the 7.2-magnitude earthquake of Easter 2010 devastated the former library building which used to be located State Street, adding that the leadership of that time had to figure something out.
“I will give credit, and it’s true, Measure P that you all approved was a Godsend, right?” Oliva said.
“It’s a blessing and a curse in a certain way, but a blessing nonetheless here today, because the $17 million that it took to build this library came from the half-cent sales tax that you all approved,” he said.
In a previous release on Nov. 7, Oliva stated that after a decade in the nearby temporary location located near the old Imagine School buildings, the City was excited to offer a wonderful new library that embodies the community’s commitment to investing in the future of El Centro.
With a total of 19, 811 square feet of new construction, the lobby area gives the public access to the amenities of the new library as well as community rooms, according to the El Centro Library project brochure.
The dual community rooms space is furnished to provide seating for over 220 occupants and has access to an outdoor patio with additional seating, according to the document. “As you enter the state-of-the-art library, you have access to the marketplace area and community computers,” it reads.
The new El Centro Public Library includes separate areas designated for children, teens, and adults, with craft and innovation areas and study rooms. In addition to these amenities, the new library has a “Friends of the Library Bookstore.”
“I’ve seen how public libraries have evolved, we are a community hub,” said Victor Zazueta, Library and Community Services Board Chairman.
“We provide all kinds of services to everyone that walks in that door, and everyone is welcome,” Zazueta said. “It’s one of the reasons that I believe so firmly in public libraries: We serve everyone equally, we don’t discriminate.”
“And another thing I believe in is lifelong learning,” he said.
Ladies from the Adult Center Book Club toured the new El Centro Public Library and were impressed with the catalog and facility.
“It’s a lot better than the other one, and bigger,” said Berenice Burrola, El Centro resident and Adult Center Book Club member.
The brochure states that funding was achieved through Measure P, design created by Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects, construction by Barnhart-Reese Construction, Inc., construction management by Schneider CM, and project management by El Centro Public Works Department with the support of the Community Services Department, Community Development Department, Finance Department, and the City Manager’s office.
Norma Rosales, a library assistant who has worked at the El Centro Public Library for 21 years, mentioned the hours of operation will be extended to Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“We have so much to offer the community,” Rosales said.
Rosales said that with this new library she hopes the community gets motivated to read and visit the building.