A number of Glendale residents are up in arms about plans to revise or demolish a long-standing public library in Murphy Park as part of the Downtown Campus Modernization Project.
The City’s preferred plan, at the moment, is to relocate the Velma Teague Library out of the building it has occupied for 53 years to a City-owned primarily retail space two blocks away at a projected cost of $8M.
The existing space would need approximately $5M in upgrades to its electrical, plumbing, lighting and HVAC systems to remain in service. Community Services Director Jean Moreno informed the Library Advisory Board last week that the initial proposals for renovations to keep the library in the park were closer to $18M.
Glendale officials will consider several proposals in a workshop this week. These include:
- Renovating and upgrading the existing 15.5KSF building,
- Redesigning the library with a smaller footprint to provide more space for Murphy Park,
- Downsize the library to 10KSF-12KSF and rebuild it at the edge of the park, or
- Demolish the library and move it to the Glendale retail promenade and parking structure on 58th and Palmaire avenues.
The demolition and relocation option would cost approximately $8M and could be rolled into the $70M City Hall remodel. All the others would take years, cost in the area of $18M and require passage of a bond measure.
Glendale officials held a public discussion in September. Most of the approximately 20 attendees expressed support for keeping the current library location, as it has been a public gathering place for five decades and is a well-known resource center for disadvantaged residents.
The Library Advisory Board voted to recommend the demolition and relocation plan earlier this month. The vote caught concerned residents by surprise and spurred allegations of improper procedure and secrecy. Residents say Moreno was supposed to talk about library programs and public desires for the library. Neither the new proposal nor the planned vote was included in the meeting agenda.
More than 300 residents have signed a petition to protect the Velma Teague Library in its Murphy Park location. They point to the library’s long association with the Murphy Park area, its history of services to disadvantaged residents, and what they perceive as the undesirability of the proposed promenade location.
The promenade has struggled to attract and retain retail tenants. The associated parking structure is, according to area residents, often occupied by homeless people and strewn with trash. They question the implications of moving a library with a reputation for service to disadvantaged residents into such a location.
Moreno said the library should be considered separate from the promenade’s retail difficulties and that it could help residents by offering expanded services, amenities and social activities.
Glendale officials have declined to comment on the relocation proposal or the Library Advisory Board action until the planned public workshop Oct. 22. (Source)
