San Clemente Library Improvements Delayed until 2014

The San Clemente Branch Library is expanding into the now-vacant old senior center, but because of staffing issues at the county level, renovations won't be done until November of 2014, officials said.

Orange County Community Resources Director Steve Franks and Orange County Librarian Helen Fried updated the San Clemente City Council Tuesday on the plans. Council members had expressed disappointment that the project was moving so slow, given that the $1.7 million in funding had already been secured.

"We had a staff person no longer with the county who had to take a disability retirement, and that slowed us up," Franks said. "We hope to have a project manager on staff dedicated to this project by the end of March."

Franks said architects are developing the construction documents and the project will likely go out to bid in late summer. Construction on the library will add about 5,000 square feet and include expansions to the young adult and children's sections, training rooms, webinar facilities, a new Friends of the San Clemente Library bookstore and a patio.

Construction will begin in February of 2014 and be finished by the end of the year, Franks said.

The expansion will be funded by Talega and Marblehead developer fees, a $200,000 grant from the Friends of the Library and a $625,000 advance from the city that the county will pay back.