By Tammye McDuff
Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, Artesia City Council, and new Library Director Skye Patrick broke ground on the new Artesia Library the past Wednesday.
“This $12.2 million investment will provide Artesia with the library that patrons deserve,” said Knabe,”it will be spacious and twice the size of the old library, it will indeed be environmentally friendly, with new social media material, Wifi and plenty of reading space.”
When complete, the 10,850 square foot Artesia Library is expected to achieve top environmental sustainability standard with leadership in energy and environmental design certification. Artesia Library also will feature adult and children’s reading area, a teen area, homework center, two group study rooms, early childhood and family place programming area, a laptop vending machine, 12 public access computers, two early childhood computer learning stations, a Friends of the Library book sale room, a ‘new materials marketplace’, digital signage, express service self checkout stations and a 100 seat community meeting room with an audio-visual system and kitchenette. IBI Group is the architectural firm designing the new library and the Los Angeles county Community Development commission is handling the project management.
“Every community deserves a high quality public library,” said Patrick,” every community needs a space where people can connect, explore and create. Through Operation Libraries, Knabe is providing these spaces.”
Mayor Victor Manalo acknowledged, “This is a team effort. I hope that Supervisor Knabe never grows tired of the many ‘Thank Yous’ for this project. Since being on the Council since 2007, we have had to make some difficult decisions. For someone to come to us with $12 million dollars, saying ‘I want to build a library’ was not one of them!” Manalo continued to congratulate the vision and inspiration of Knabe and his Operation Libraries, adding, “this will be a beautiful structure and public facility.”
Michele Diaz, President of the Friends of Artesia Library thanked the many people that are vital to the Artesia Library, “Our library is extremely busy for its size and we are looking forward to a new building, where we will be able to accommodate more patrons.” Diaz recognized the Artesia Library staff, Friends of Artesia Library members and the community who attend events and purchase tickets for opportunity drawings, noting, “We would not be able to raise money for the library without the support of the community.”
Megan Ramos, 8th grader and Student Body President of Our Lady of Fatima School led the Pledge of Allegiance.
I recently drove by this and was literally shocked. How dare the city for fathers, lose their precious Park property to a stupid Library when the city of Cerritos has a huge Library within a miles distance, and the Artesia library was sufficient. What happened to our forefathers dream of open space and Parks.?
For your information, the Cerritos library is not “fully” open to non-residents, Artesia is not Cerritos, and thus only students of the abcusd can apply for a card and still have not full access to all the materials. Kids and residents in Artesia deserve their own library, one where they can learn at today’s standards, For you to considere a fraction of the park most important than the future of our children education and their well been, is plain ridiculous. Using your same argument, there are plenty of parks within a mile or two distance. “Driving by” makes me think that you are one of those folks in their oversize pickups who came from outside the city just to use the park green areas overcrowding our community park. Next time you mention how the “forefathers” ideals are been toss away, think about how much pollution and waste you make by “driving by” killing our environment and open spaces, may be you would like to walk instead and then have a fair argument.
The area where the library is being built was mainly used by gang members and pot heads. Thank God they got rid of all those ugly benches. Hopefully the city of Artesia will add more lighting and have more police presence. There are a lot of druggies in the parking lot areas..