Department of Libraries and Information Services
CENTRAL LIBRARY PROJ ECT UPDATE: COMMUNITY
AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF CONTINUED CENTRAL
LIBRARY CLOSURE
Presented to City Council
Item No. 11
July 8, 2024
Libraries and Information Services
Presentation Overview
• Background
• Programming
• Community Impacts
• Costs Associated With Continued Closure
of Central Library
2 Libraries and Information Services
Ce ntra l Lib ra ry Proje c t Up d a te
Background
3 Libraries and Information Services
Background
4 April 2021 Preliminary Structural Evaluation revealed the Library is an Unreinforced Masonry (URM) building and determined it unsafe for occupants in the event of an earthquake
May 3, 2021 City Officials forced to close the Library acting in the bestinterests of the public and employees
June 2021- Dec 2021 Geotechnical and building investigations, material testing, modeling and structural analysis, independent structural evaluation April 25, 2022 City Council approves the capital improvement project proposal and appropriation of $4 million through the California State Library to support the design phase of the Central Library Retrofit and Building Repairs Project September 2022 Pasadena Central Library Community Programming Committee is established
November 2022 Technical Oversight Committee is established January 23, 2023 City Council approves the capital improvement project proposal and appropriation of an additional $5 million through the California State Library to support the design phase of the Central Library Retrofit and Building Repairs Project
February 6, 2023 City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into Contract with Gruen Associates for Environmental Documents and Construction Drawings Libraries and Information Services
Background
5 February 27, 2023 Community Programming Committee issued its "Recommendations for Library Programming" report
Feb 2023 to June
2024
Community outreach events and focus groups, library programming defined and incorporated into design
March – August 2023 Development and evaluation of various earthquake retrofit approaches
August 21, 2023 City Council approved the Concrete Shear Wall approach January 22, 2024 Project Update to City Council on Library Programming and Public Opinion Survey, Schematic Design and Cost Estimate, Community Outreach Project Timeline
June 10, 2024 City Council approved the "Recommended Scope" design option and directed staff to prepare necessary documents for placing a Central Library General Obligation (GO) bond measure on the November 2024 election ballot and return to City Council in July 2024 for consideration
Libraries and Information Services
Background
The Central Library is not just a building.
It is a critical resource to the community for access to information, resources and services at no cost to the
community.
With no access to the Central Library, the City has already seen a drastic reduction in services provided to the community. 6 Libraries and Information Services
Central Library Project Update
Programming
7 Libraries and Information Services
Programming
8 The Pasadena Central Library Community Programming
Committee was established in 2022 with eleven members
appointed by then Interim City Manager Cynthia Kurtz
The intended outcome of the committee’s work was to provide a vision for reimagined library programs and services to inform the design team as they planned the retrofit and restoration of Central Library.
A report of the Committee’s programming recommendations was created in February 2023.
Following these recommendations, continuous outreach to the community has been conducted to further define the
community’s current needs and anticipate future needs.
Libraries and Information Services
Community Outreach, Commissions,
and Commi ttee M eeti ngs
Over forty meetings have been held with stakeholders since September 2022 with strong support for the Central Library Retrofit and Building Repairs Project
• 8 Central Library Community Programming Committee meetings • 10 Central Library Technical Oversight Committee meetings • 4 Library Commission meetings
• 3 Design Commission meetings
• Historic Preservation Commission
• Accessibility and Disability Commission
• Northwest Commission
• Pasadena Heritage
• Pasadena Community Foundation
• 4 Community Town Halls
• Pop-Up events
• Focus Group meetings 9
Libraries and Information Services
Te c hnic a l Ove rs ig ht Committe e
• Appointed by Mayor Gordo
• Comprised of academics & professionals from the
fields of structural engineering, seismology,
architecture, and historic preservation
• Committee responsibilities
Review analysis findings and retrofit solutions developed by the design team and provide feedback
Meet at key design milestones throughout the design
phase
Provide periodic updates to City Council
10 Libraries and Information Services
T echni cal Oversi ght Commi ttee M embers
• Paul Jennings, PhD., Committee Chair - Caltech
• Winston Thorne, AIA, Committee Vice Chair - American Institute of Architects, Pasadena & Foothill Chapter
• David Cocke, S.E. - Structural Focus
• Thomas Heaton, PhD. - Caltech
• Monica Kohler, PhD. - Caltech
• Sue Mossman - Pasadena Heritage
• Elizabeth Moule, AIA - Moule & Polyzoides, Architects and Urbanists • Kevin O’Connell, S.E. - Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger Structural Engineers • Kenneth O’Dell, S.E. - MHP Structural Engineers
• Daniel Zepeda, S.E. - Degenkolb Engineers
11 Libraries and Information Services
Central Library Project Update
Community Impacts
12 Libraries and Information Services
Community I mpacts
13 Change in Library Usage Since Central Library Closure Total In-Person Programs Offered
FY19 2,462
FY23 1,594
Total In-Person Program Attendance
FY19 55,260
FY23 30,016
PC Reservations
FY19 128,515
FY23 17,165
Library Visits
FY19 803,274
FY23 393,429
Circulation (Number of Library Items Checked Out Annually) FY19 1,251,793
FY23 679,068
Reference Desk Questions Answered
FY19 122,167
FY23 66,028
Libraries and Information Services
Central Library Project Update
Costs Associated With Continued Closure of Central Library 14 Libraries and Information Services
Costs Associated with Continued Closure of Central Library 15 Securing a building equivalent to the Central Library's 120,000 square feet in today's market would cost an estimated $2.88 million annually, plus tenant-funded capital improvements. Staff has not been able to identify a vacant retail property of this size within the city.
Temporarily relocating library operations to multiple sites has incurred significant costs for logistics, infrastructure, and maintaining multiple sites, estimated at $2.3 million to date since FY22.
Libraries and Information Services
Costs Associated with Continued Closure of Central Library 16 Maintaining a vacant Central Library costs $450,000 annually, plus additional expenses for utilities and security.
The City loses $400,000 annually in potential rental revenue from the Rose Palace, now used for storing the library collection temporarily. Additional costs include $664,000 annually for leasing, utilities, and maintenance for temporary sites including Jefferson Elementary, Park Center, and Rose Palace. The Jefferson lease currently expires in June 2027.
The ongoing annual impact of maintaining a vacant Central Library is $1.514 million.
Long-term costs are unknown. Present short-term costs are known but not a viable long-term solution and without a Central Library, the long term would be up to policy and budget decisions by City Council.
Libraries and Information Services
Central Library Project Update
Recommendation
The following report is for information only. No City Council action is requested at this time.
17