BRENTWOOD -- After years of waiting, residents here now have assurances that they'll be getting a new -- and much larger -- library.
Brentwood City Council members spent a couple of days earlier this month deciding which long-term projects they most want to tackle, a
list that included replacing the library.
"It's gonna happen unless there's some unforeseen issue," said City Manager Gus Vina, who thinks it's very unlikely any deal-breakers
will arise, such as construction bids coming in too high.
Although most of the proposed projects won't receive the city's formal stamp of approval until January, the library is one of those that
already has generated so much discussion among council members that he's not waiting to get started on the venture, Vina said.
The City Council is scheduled to make the project official at its Oct. 27 meeting, where Vina also is expected to introduce the team of
employees he's assembling to draw up requests for proposals from architects and builders as well as oversee the library's construction.
He'll also recommend that the council approve $12 million from the current budget for the project, an amount that's expected to cover the
entire cost, furnishings included, Vina said.
He cautioned, however, that he won't know the exact price tag until the bids come in, so the city might have to make minor changes to the
designs.
A possible source of help might be the Brentwood Library Foundation, a nonprofit that library enthusiasts formed last year to raise money
for the cause. Exactly how much the group has collected to date is not available.
It's a rough guess, Vina said, but construction conceivably could start next spring with library patrons enjoying their new hangout 18 to 24
months after that.
The City Council had acknowledged the need to replace the library at the point that it decided to build City Hall, but the recession
subsequently put those plans on hold, Vina said.
Since then the city has been waiting until it had enough money; by the time he came on board in February, Vina said Brentwood had
regained its financial footing.
Operating out of former city offices at Third and Oak streets, the library moved there in June 2009 to make way for the new City Hall with
the understanding that the accommodations would be temporary.