Developer to contribute $5 million for Fontana library

Article Date: April 19, 2007

By Michael Mello, The Press-Enterprise

FONTANA - Fontana's most prolific developer has pledged to contribute $5 million toward the city's new downtown library, which will now bear the name "Lewis Library and Technology Center." 

The money from the Lewis Group of Cos. brings the pledges for the structure to $14.5 million. The Lewis contribution represents a quarter of the $20 million the city has sought to help equip and stock what was formerly called the Fontana Library and Resource Center. 

"This is a very generous contribution, and we're very excited by it," City Manager Ken Hunt said. 

The library foundation had been seeking a $10 million gift, and planned to name the building for whoever gave it. 

However, $5 million was what the company wanted to give, said Kathleen Fariss, the library's director of development. 

Randall Lewis, executive vice president of the Upland-based Lewis Group of Cos., said the company wanted to give "where we could make a meaningful difference." 

Lewis is a member of the library foundation's executive steering committee. 

The company does a lot of business in Fontana, Lewis said, and "the message we picked up from the staff and the (City) Council was that the library was of particular importance to the people of Fontana." 

The $5 million contribution is a combination of donations and revenue expected from future development to be paid over three years, Hunt said. 

Lewis Group has built thousands of homes and several large retail complexes in Fontana. Earlier this month, Fontana's Planning Commission recommended the City Council approve another large development of 719 homes and 435 multifamily units in south Fontana, dubbed Valley Trails. 

The company has also planned The Arboretum, a proposed 3,500-home, two-square-mile residential development within the city. 

Under a resolution approved by the City Council in 2006, developers are required to pay $533.30 for each home and $239.99 for each multifamily dwelling, such as apartments, that are built in the city. 

That means the library would receive almost $500,000 from Lewis Operating Corp. for the library for the Valley Trails project, and almost three times that much for The Arboretum. 

"It's partially fees, and partially a donation," Lewis said of the company's contribution. "It's all part of a package that's not finished yet." 

City officials have planned for the $60 million library complex, scheduled for completion in April 2008, to be the "crown jewel" of a rejuvenated downtown. 

"This project can be a real catalyst to do more good in the heart of the city," Lewis said. 

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 cafe and an underground parking structure. 

Donations may be made at the Fontana Community Services Department, 8334 Emerald Ave., by calling 909-428-8880 or by visiting www.fontanalibrary.org 

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

Fontana Library Total cost: $60 million 

Donations asked: $20 million 

Donations pledged: $14.5 million 

SOURCE: CITY OF FONTANA