2010-11 Fullerton Library Expansion and Renovation

Frequently Asked Questions

When will the Expansion/Renovation project begin?

The official groundbreaking for the project was held on Tuesday, May 18th.(Video here and here, pictures here.) Site mobilization and staging began on May 24, 2010 with construction underway in June.

How long have you been planning this project?

This PDF is a chronology of steps that have been taken that have led up to this project.

Will the Library still be open?

Yes, during the first phase of the project, which we expect to last about 6 months, the library will remain open. The project will begin with the expanded area to the east, so we do expect a wall to be built across part of the building to keep the dust and noise out of the main levels of the library. During this time period, we will also relocate a portion of the book collection. There will be more specific information on this as we move towards this phase of the plan. There may be times when construction events or moving may necessitate closure for a short period of time. If a closure occurs, we will do our best to notify our patrons in advance.

Who's paying for all of this work?

While it may seem at odds with the trend of Federal, State and Local Government budget cutbacks, the funds used to pay for the $10 million dollar Library Expansion/Renovation project are what are known as "restricted" funds that can only be used for capital and infrastructure projects, and not "general" purposes like community services and public safety. Specifically, these restricted funds are "redevelopment bond funds", issued by the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency (RDA) and are derived from incremental growth in property tax revenues generated over many years of redevelopment activities in specified project areas. As the nation collectively moves forward to economic recovery, you will notice that all tiers of government (Federal, State and Local) will engage in Public Works projects, like the Library Expansion/Renovation project, as a catalyst for job creation and economic growth in a way that the private sector cannot.