South Pasadena ad hoc committee leans toward mid‑size library–senior option, asks clearer council presentation and funding guidance

Consultants presented a draft City Council presentation for the Library Park reimagining project to the Library Community Center Ad Hoc Committee and committee members signaled support for the mid‑range, co‑located library and senior center option while asking staff and consultants to tighten the presentation and clarify costs and tradeoffs.

The committee was shown three building strategies: Option A, a renovation of the existing 1930s community room (about 27,000 square feet); Option B, a new co‑located library and senior center with renovation of the historic community room (roughly a 24,500‑square‑foot new facility plus the renovated structure); and Option C, a larger new construction of about 38,000–40,000 square feet that would require a second floor. The consultants presented estimated planning ranges: Option A approximately $18–25 million; Option B approximately $33–41.5 million; and Option C approximately $47.5–60 million.

The presentation summarized a community engagement program that reached nearly 3,000 participants, including about 672 survey respondents, and mapped program priorities: library priorities included books for all ages, quiet reading and study, children’s play and learning, and a “library of things;” senior and community priorities included fitness and wellness, a senior lounge, nutrition/meals, and multipurpose spaces for performances, arts and lifelong learning.

Don Marcus, a consultant on the project team, said the draft budget used standard planning contingencies and an assumed escalation rate and described four cost components included in the estimate: the hard cost for building construction, site costs (engineering/fees/permits),…