Orcutt library proposal advances: ‘an absolute need’

They turned a page, but the ending to this story isn’t written yet.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors said Tuesday that building a library in Orcutt should be a priority project—even at a cost between $29 and $44 million.

Time will tell if the project actually lands in a future budget.

“I admit. When the numbers came out on this project, there was sticker shock for me,” said Board Chair Bob Nelson, whose Fourth District would be home to the new library, a proposal that dates back 30 years. “I had a lot of heartburn.”

Still, “this is an important investment to be making,” Nelson said, comparing Orcutt and its 30,000 residents to Goleta, which is similar in size and has a library.

In a 4-0 vote in Santa Maria, the supervisors decided to explore potential funding strategies that include debt financing. They also directed county staff to get a better understanding of ongoing operational expenses, and to consider the costs of multiple potential designs.

“It’s an absolute need,” added Supervisor Steve Lavagnino, whose Fifth District borders Orcutt.

Supervisor Joan Hartmann abstained from the vote. Throughout the hearing, she raised concerns about the cost and weighed it against other priorities including renovations to the North County Jail. In July, the county laid off dozens of employees.

“We have needs in Orcutt… for a new fire station,” Hartmann said, running down a list. “We have needs in the county to serve mental health.”

The decision came as supporters of the project packed the board’s hearing room.

Betty Rose Gunn, president of Friends of the Library, described the town’s current library as too small: “We have many programs. There’s so many other programs that we can’t have, because we are squeezed.”

“This means a lot to me,” Gunn said, “from the bottom of my heart.”

The existing Orcutt Library at 175 Broadway Street operates in leased space fewer than 5,000 square feet in size.

Planning documents dating back to 1995 identified the need for a significantly larger facility—up to 20,000 square feet—to adequately serve the growing Orcutt community, according to the county.

The city of Santa Maria operates the Orcutt Library on behalf of the county. The city, officials say, recently completed a space-needs assessment identifying 17,160 square feet as necessary to meet current community demand.

The proposed library site near Clark Avenue and Foxenwood Lane consists of five parcels at a planned new senior and community center for Orcutt Area Seniors In Service, Inc. (OASIS). The organization provides classes, exercise sessions, musical enrichment and a wide range of other social opportunities to seniors.

“The library is basically piggybacking,” Dr. Fred Carbone, an OASIS board of directors member, told the board before its vote. “If I have to go back to our major donors and say, ‘Guess what? The county’s put up another barrier’… I don’t know if I can do that.”

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