THOMPSON GIVES $850,000 TO DAVIS, YOLO COUNTY
Earlier in the week, Congressman Mike Thompson, D-Yolo, presented a $850,000 check to the city of Davis and Yolo County for the new Walnut Park Library project.
According to a city of Davis press release, Thompson secured this funding in the appropriations government funding bill that was signed into law on March 9, 2024.
Elected officials and leaders from the city of Davis and Yolo County accepted the check Monday afternoon at Davis City Hall, located at 23 Russell Blvd., and thanked Thompson for his support of this project. The funds will go towards the Walnut Park Library, which will bring muchneeded programs and resources related to literacy, health, housing, engagement, connectivity, and more to the community.
“The Walnut Park Library project will be a tremendous asset to the South Davis community,” stated Davis Mayor Josh Chapman. “The funding support received, including
$850,000 from Representative Mike Thompson's office, $8.7 million from the California State Library and the city's own donation of $1.5 million, will bring invaluable services and programs to the children and residents of this community. I am so proud to have been a part of this collaborative process to provide a state-of-the-art library to South Davis.”
The need for additional library services for residents in Davis is growing. In 2001, a countywide Library Facility Plan recognized the need for a south Davis library focused on underserved youth and recreational readers of all ages. In 2014, a Yolo County Strategic Space Utilization Study found that the Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library had reached its capacity.
“The South Davis Library will greatly benefit a community that currently does not have access to a library by expanding library services and establishing literacy programs for children and adults,” stated Thompson. “I am glad that Davis leaders brought this project to my attention, and I am proud I was
able to secure the funding in government funding bills. In addition, this space will help to protect our community from extreme weather by serving as a warming and cooling center and a place to shelter from smoke. I look forward to seeing this project move forward and benefit the entire Davis community.”
According to the release, Yolo County and Davis have been working for many years to raise funds for expanded library services. In 2022, Yolo County secured an $8.7 million grant from the California State Library, and in 2023, the city of Davis pledged $1.5 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act and Developer Impact Fees in support of the project. Additionally, since the park's inception, the city of Davis has set aside the land donation within Walnut Park for the purpose of a library.
The 12,000-square-foot Walnut Park Library will provide literacy and educational resources, internet access and connectivity, support for individuals in broadening their community engagement, opportunities to use community room spaces,
and more. Construction is slated
to begin in the winter of 2024/2025 and be completed around October 2026.
Earlier in the day, Thompson presented the city of Woodland with a check for $1.05 million for the Interstate 5/State Route113 Connectors Project, which is part of the East Main Street Neighborhood Livability Project.
The funding secured by Thompson will assist in constructing two freeway-to-freeway connectors between northbound I-5 and southbound SR 113 and southbound I-5 and northbound SR 113 in Woodland.
Currently, I-5 traffic must exit the freeway and use city streets to access SR 113. The project will help complete the only alternate east-west connection in the Sacramento region as congestion increases on the I-80 causeway, which is critically important for circulation, roadway safety, and emergency response.
On Wednesday, Thompson presented an $800,000 check to the city of American Canyon for the Napa River Ecology Center.
The Napa River Ecology
Center project will repurpose an unused industrial building, bringing it up to code and making it ADAcompliant so that it can be used as a community education and program center. Once complete, the building will become the Napa River Ecology Center and will host community events for local families, after-school programs in conjunction with the project's partner, Napa Valley Unified School District, conservation programs, and citizen science.
According to a press release from Thompson's office, he secured the money for all check presentations from the same funding bill.