Murrieta library foundation and city push to close funding gap for $7.05 million children’s expansion

Murrieta — The Murrieta Public Library Foundation and city staff told the Library Advisory Commission on Feb. 10 that a long-planned expansion of the library’s children’s area is at final design and nearing bid documents but still requires private donations to meet the project budget.

The library’s senior program manager, Brian Crawford, said the project budget is about $7,050,000, including soft costs, and that construction alone is estimated at a little over $4,000,000. Crawford said the project currently includes a $1.5 million-plus California State Library grant together with roughly $750,000 in city matching funds, and that the foundation’s fundraising will determine how the final contract is structured when it goes to bid and then to City Council.

Crawford told commissioners the commission and community helped shape the plan and that council selected a roughly 4,500-square-foot expansion option: “Council did select the 4,500 square foot version and we settled into a budget of just over $7,000,000,” Crawford said. He described project elements that…