Redevelopment dollars from failed soccer complex reallocated to
cover cost increase
n By Matt King Staff WriteR
Morgan Hill – No more corners will be cut at the new library scheduled to open next spring.
Wednesday, the city council approved a $400,000 bump to the facility’s $12.7 million construction budget to cover increased material and energy costs. The council chose augmenting the budget over so-called value engineering that could have delivered the project at its original cost.
“The project was under spent as it was,” Councilman Mark Grzan said Friday. “It’s not being built as large as it should have been to meet our population’s needs. This library is a very important learning center for our community.”
The Morgan Hill Library is part of the Santa Clara County library chain. Its original design called for a 40,000 square-foot building at a cost of $21 million. Plans for the DeWitt Avenue building had to be scaled back because the city did not receive any state bond money.
The floor plan includes a large program room, a teen area, a large window facing El Toro Mountain to the west, sales and sorting rooms for the Friends of the Library, plenty of computers and a divided children’s area with their own restrooms and a separate spot for pre-schoolers.
To boost the budget, the council reallocated redevelopment money intended for a soccer complex that will not be built because the city could not reach a deal with San Jose to operate the complex.
Library supporters are hopeful the city will eventually apportion more money to dress up the library grounds and perhaps install public art.
