Fontana's new library has been built with community support

Article Date: April, 2008

By Paul Biane, Fontana Area Business Journal

Over the past year and a half, we have all watched in anticipation as the Lewis Library and Technology Center took shape along Sierra Avenue in Fontana.

On April 19, we will get our first look inside.

The City of Fontana is hosting a grand opening celebration starting at 10 a.m. with comments from officials and a ribbon cutting. The other festivities, including guided tours of the 93,000 square-foot library, get started at 11 a.m.

While it has taken about a year and a half to build this magnificent regional library, the project has been in the works for more than seven years.

I remember testifying before the California Library Construction and Renovation Board in 2004 along with City officials as we sought $20 million in bond funding for the library. We succeeded in securing $14.9 million, but City officials knew this wouldn't be enough to build the modern library and technology center planned.

That's when the Fontana community came into the picture.

Residents and businesses began pitching in as soon as the city launched a massive fundraising effort for the library project.

Lewis Group of Companies gave $5 million and Young Homes pitched in $1.5 million. My colleagues and I on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors directed $1.3 million to the project.

Meanwhile, schools, civic organizations and community groups began their own fundraising efforts for the library.

Residents of all ages and businesses, both big and small, also reached into their pockets to contribute to the community's library.

So far, the city has raised more than $15 million.

And even though the library is set to open this month, the city is still raising funds to cover the cost of the building and equipping the Lewis Library and Technology Center, which will be the largest library in the County of San Bernardino.

I hope you will come out on April 19 as we celebrate the grand opening of the library, and I encourage residents and businesses to continue your support of the facility.

For more information about the Fontana Library Foundation's fundraising campaign, call (909) 350-6586.

(San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane represents the 2nd District, which includes the western part of Fontana.)