From Daily Republic // Dec. 18, 2005
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - Suisun City could get a new library next to Suisun Elementary School as early as June 2008 if everything goes well, according to plans to go before the Suisun City Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday.
The City Council, which sits as the Redevelopment Agency, is expected to vote on a funding plan that will turn over 1.5 acres to the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District and spend $4.6 million to build the library.
Suisun City, the school district and the Solano Library District have been working together for more than a year to put a permanent library in Suisun City to replace the one leasing space at 333 Sunset Center.
The effort was spurred two years ago when the City Council proposed not paying the lease at 333 Sunset as part of its efforts to deal with a worsening deficit.
Councilmembers had once considered building a permanent library next to the Joe Nelson Community Center in Heritage Park but abandoned that idea in favor of sharing it with Suisun Elementary School.
The site behind Suisun Elementary School facing Pintail Drive got largely positive comments from residents at informational meetings.
Tuesday's proposal recommends having the redevelopment agency advance the project $710,000, which would be repaid by Solano County Public Facilities fees generated within Suisun City.
The library's backers will go after $1 million in state Proposition 47 grant funding. Another $2.2 million would come from redevelopment money that would otherwise go to the school district.
Barring any difficulties such as not getting the state grant, construction would start in February 2007 and the library would open in June 2008.
In other business, the agency will vote to spend $80,000 on a consultant who would work on moving forward the proposed Gentry shopping center project, which would be located just west across the railroad tracks from Suisun City's Old Town.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
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