BOARD APPROVES FUNDING FOR $7.5 MILLION LIBRARY IN EAST RANCHO DOMINGUEZ

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

March 9, 2010                                                                                                                                       Contact:      Aurelio Rojas 213-280-6579

                                                                                                                                                                                      James Bolden 213-200-5314

              

BOARD APPROVES FUNDING FOR $7.5 MILLION LIBRARY IN EAST RANCHO DOMINGUEZ 

 

LOS ANGELES – The Board of Supervisors today approved funding for a $7.5 million, 7,000-square-foot library in East Rancho Dominguez that Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and community residents said will meet a growing need in the community and serve as a hub for County services.

 

Several speakers, including members of the clergy, Sheriff’s Department, and business and neighborhood groups, testified in support of the project.

 

Pastor Bobby Newman, whose Citizens of Zion Missionary Baptist Church provides services to local youth, said more than 100,000 people now live in the area, but the nearest library of comparable size is in downtown Compton.

 

“This library will provide essential services and help the young folks in the area,” Pastor Newman said, noting there are several schools nearby.

 

The new library is 40 percent larger than the existing space and will improve accessibility for the disabled.

 

Sheriff’s Department Commander Todd Rogers told the Board that the library builds on the department’s philosophy of prevention over suppression. He called the project “a pathway from crime.”

 

The Board’s action also authorized the County’s Director of Public Works to execute an agreement with Carde Ten Architects to provide architectural/engineering design, consultant, and construction administration services for the project – for a fee not to exceed $468,800.

 

 “The new library will also be a significant investment in East Rancho Dominguez, through its construction, creating almost 200 jobs,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said.  “It will bring together families, increase property values and improve the social dynamics of the neighborhood.”

 

Pastor Alex Leon of the Victory Outreach church in Compton called the library “an investment” in young people in the community.

 

Sinetta Farley, president of the East Rancho Dominguez Block-Watch Organization, noted that many residents of the community attended the Board meeting to express their support for the project.

 

The new library will provide more public access computers, a dedicated meeting room, group study space, and other amenities. The building will incorporate sustainable design features that optimize energy and water use efficiency.

 

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