Subsidiary District and Non-Profit Organization

A working group of about a dozen people representing many different library and community interests met several times through the fall of 2005 and winter of 2006 to identify the scope of the operating and financing needs and prepare an early set of recommendations to the City for the operations of the LLLC. The group coalesced around the idea of a forming both a subsidiary district and a non-profit organization (NPO) for the purposes of management and fundraising. The group determined that having two entities provided access to a greater range of fundraising opportunities, could attract and manage more volunteers and create a better experience for users LLLC than could only one entity.

Operating Cost Scenarios

The report outlines three scenarios for incremental costs to operate and maintain the LLLC at varying levels of service. The scenarios are entitled “Minimum,” “Medium” and “Full” and include different levels of hours of operations, staffing and Consortium programming.

Each scenario assumes a comprehensive maintenance program, but the cost of maintenance is partially dependent upon hours. The incremental cost in 2009 ranges from $529,000 for the Minimum scenario to $1,100,000 for the Full scenario. There is some opportunity for the final operating plan to mix components from different scenarios. Ultimately, the service level will depend on what the community requires and is willing to help fund.

The final table within the report shows a range of scenarios for additional resources under the three service levels. For each of these, the incremental cost to operate the LLLC is adjusted to include the proceeds from a low endowment of $3 million, a medium endowment of $8 million, and a large endowment of $13 million. The Lafayette Community Foundation already has raised more than $3 million for the endowment as part of its capital campaign and will conduct further fundraising programs beginning in early 2007.

An average parcel tax for each of the service level options is also addressed in the report. It is assumed the parcel tax would be for five years and based on 11,000 parcels. Parcel taxes for libraries are increasingly commonplace; Communities throughout California use this type of funding to support library services, including Walnut Creek, Orinda, Albany, San Jose, Sacramento, Santa Clara County, Pasadena, Oakland and Riverside.

“It is clear that a new library is needed in Lafayette,” said County Librarian Anne Cain. “The existing building is bursting at the seams, yet despite these constraints it attracts more than 500 users per day, making it one of the most frequently used libraries in the County system. If Lafayette follows the experience in other communities, usage will increase significantly once the new library is open.”

Construction Update

The project has received cost estimates at four key project milestones: conceptual plans in November 2003; preliminary design development plans in December 2004; final design development plans in April 2005; and construction documents in March 2006. Through these estimates, project costs have been monitored, and, through ongoing peer reviews and value engineering, costs have been reduced wherever practical and consistent with the building program.

“The incredible support from our community through the success of fundraising activities in conjunction with the State grant and city support have insured that we can finance the construction and opening of the new Lafayette Library and Learning Center by the Fall of 2008,” said Gwenn Lennox, Campaign Director, LLLC. “The bottom line is there are funding sources to pay for the construction project at its current estimate.”

Project Schedule

The project has been progressing over the last few months with the acquisition of the project site being completed in May and demolition of the old Veterans Memorial Building completed in July.

The project’s construction documents are currently being reviewed by the four permitting agencies: State Architect; Office of Library Construction; County Building; and County Fire District. Comments from these reviews are expected back to staff and the Architect in mid-July.

The LLLC Site Dedication is planned for Fall 2006 with volunteers currently working on plans for the community-based dedication event.

See attached document for a detailed project schedule.

Glenn Seaborg Consortium

The Glenn Seaborg Consortium brings a broad range of urban, cultural resources into a suburban library. The Consortium is the first of its kind at any American public library. Its mission is to provide diverse learning opportunities to people of all ages and interests. These learning opportunities are being created by collaborations with and among an engaged citizenry, leading Bay Area cultural, scientific and educational organizations, local schools, and the Lafayette community. Even though the library is still more than two years away from opening, several Consortium partners have already begun to present programs in Lafayette, including the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco and Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley.

Lafayette Library and Learning Center

The Lafayette Library and Learning Center represents a community-driven effort to build a regional resource and national model for the library of the future. On track for site dedication in Fall 2006, groundbreaking in early 2007, and with a two-year building schedule, the library will open its doors in 2008. The Lafayette Library and Learning Center will be a civic focal point, a place to stay connected and a place that reflects the community’s commitment to life-long learning.