Framed Sections of Walls Take Shape

Fontana library no longer simple dirt lot, but a 'real' building

Article Date: January 17, 2007

By Michael Mello, The Press-Enterprise

Scott Mulhern, a foreman for Cosco Fire Protection, works on the sprinkler system in the lower level of the Fontana Library and Resource/Technology Center on Friday. The facility will replace a 13,000-square-foot library on Emerald Street.

FONTANA - Any observer in downtown Fontana in early December would have noticed a strange phenomenon: Clumps of people gathering on sidewalks just outside of City Hall, raptly staring into the sky.

The groups stopped to watch a crane easily hoist framed sections of wall into place -- walls scheduled to become the Fontana Library and Regional Resource Center.

City officials have planned for the $60 million complex, scheduled for completion in April 2008, to be the "crown jewel" of a rejuvenated downtown. Construction has remained on schedule, and concrete for the second floor was recently poured.

"When they first started construction (in 2005), people saw flat dirt," said Kathleen Fariss, the library's director of development. "Now people can see it's really going to be a structure; it looks like a building. ... It's real.

"The two-story, 93,000-square-foot library on Sierra Avenue in the city's Civic Center will feature new book collections, including Spanish-language materials, a career center, a 330-seat auditorium, more than 200 computer work stations, a café, and an underground parking structure -- vastly different from the old 13,000-square-foot downtown branch on Emerald Street.

"They've been underserved and undersized for years," said San Bernardino County Librarian Ed Kieczykowski, who promised that will change. When finished, the new library will be the largest in the county.

"It's a pretty spectacular building. The city has spared no expense," Kieczykowski said, adding the new library will be open seven days and nearly 70 hours each week. "This is the first city I've ever dealt with that built the library bigger than I asked for.

"The city has set aside about $50 million for the project, but would like to raise an additional $20 million to furnish and equip the interior. A 12-member board has formed to help raise that money. At this point, $9.4 million has been secured "in a little over a year," Fariss said.

One board member, USC sophomore Cyndy Hernandez, said she joined the effort to give to a community that has been generous to her.

"Coming to college, I realized the importance of having a good library, not just for the books, but the Internet and educational resources they provide," Hernandez said. "There's going to be a café and a big auditorium for plays. Just to have some place like that in Fontana and a place to spend some time on a Sunday afternoon is something our city really needs, especially for the youth."

Donations may be made at the Fontana Community Services Department, 9460 Sierra Ave., by calling 909-428-8360 or visiting www.fontanalibrary.org.

Reach Michael Mello at 909-806-3056 or mmello@PE.com.