Library staff say Lakewood Branch is rising: 20,000 sq ft branch, art commissions, after-hours holds planned

Garrett Kermoto, superintendent of libraries, told the Board of Library Trustees on March 3 that construction of the Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center is advancing and that the project remains on track for a late‑2025 to early‑2026 completion window.

Kermoto said the city, Sunnyvale School District and Fremont Union High School District are formal project partners and that the branch is planned as a roughly 20,000‑square‑foot facility sited in Lakewood Park adjacent to Lakewood Elementary School. He said the city awarded the construction contract to BOWO Construction Inc., and that contractors have largely finished underground utility work and are close to completing footings and foundations; framing is the next visible phase.

The building plan, Kermoto said, divides public space roughly in half between traditional collection areas and rooms for learning and community programming. The design includes a marketplace area for new and popular materials at the entrance, an adult area with public computers, a tech lab, a small digital creation lab, four study rooms, a dedicated teen room with its own study room, and a children’s room that opens onto an enclosed outdoor patio. Kermoto said about half of the public area will be devoted to children and families.

On the learning center side, the project includes a makerspace and a library program room that shares a movable partition with a larger community room; when combined the two spaces can create roughly 2,000 square feet of meeting space. Kermoto said two rooms are dedicated for district use—one for the Fremont Union High School District and one for the elementary district—each roughly 1,000 square feet; they will be available for other community uses when not needed by the districts.

Kermoto described planned technology and operational features: an after‑hours holds room with exterior access and a barcode/card scan system to allow verified patrons to retrieve holds and self‑check items after normal hours; a small automated materials handling system sized for the branch to presort returned items; and planned regular deliveries between the main library and Lakewood so patrons can place holds for convenient pickup. He said the city has finalized opening‑day collection contracts with vendors and is planning staff hiring so the branch has dedicated personnel rather than simply shifting main‑library staff.

Public art is also part of the project. Kermoto said Bridal Art Studio (Jonathan Russell and Sourie Eide Russell) was selected to install an exterior sculpture titled Roots of Knowledge—polished stainless‑steel quill forms set among paving with brass leaves engraved with community words—and that Rough Edge Collective (Maria Jose Lindo Lawyer and Joshua Lawyer) will paint an interior mural titled Lost in Thought. Kermoto said the exterior quills will be roughly 14 feet tall and that the project team and artists plan community workshops for residents to contribute words to be etched on brass leaves.

Kermoto said the project held a groundbreaking in September 2024 with city and state representatives in attendance and that construction is progressing through site work and foundation. He said the library is preparing operational planning—hours, staffing, room reservations and coordination with partner districts—and that the branch will host a public grand‑opening celebration after move‑in and final outfitting. He reiterated the staff goal of a late 2025 to early 2026 construction completion followed by equipment delivery and move‑in.

Kermoto said the project team is consciously planning for neighborhood impact during construction and coordinating schedules and public‑works oversight to reduce disruption near the school and park. Trustees asked a series of operational questions about staffing rotations, booking and default pickup locations for patrons; Kermoto said the circulation system allows a cardholder to set a “home library” or choose pickup location per hold and that the team is working through operational details.

Ending: Kermoto and trustees said they will return to the Board with operational details (hours, staffing levels, delivery schedules and community outreach for public‑art workshops) as the project moves into final construction and pre‑opening phases.