City weighs pulling back on new library after construction bids double; council asks staff to seek extension and return in March

City staff told the Yucaipa City Council on Feb. 10 that bids to build a proposed new library have pushed the project cost from an earlier $18 million estimate to roughly $25 million, increasing the city’s anticipated contribution to about $10 million. That figure would use roughly two‑thirds of the city’s reported $14.5 million in unrestricted reserves, staff said.

Joe Pedeto, the project manager, said the city received 10 design‑build responses and the average estimated construction price among top submitters was about $25 million. “So that brings the city's expected contribution to about $10,000,000,” Joe Pedeto told the council. Staff and project partners had previously secured $6 million in matching funds from county and tribal partners and the city had been planning a $3 million contribution; the higher bids create a significant…