January 28, 2005

Groundbreaking for new Evergreen Branch Library

Voter-approved library bond construction project moves forward

Just one week before the fanfare of the Tully Community Branch Library opening, a dedicated core of neighborhood leaders and library patrons attended the Evergreen Branch Library groundbreaking celebration.

At the Jan. 15 groundbreaking ceremony for the new Evergreen Branch Library, the Friends of Evergreen Library surround Councilmember Dave Cortese, who vowed that three times as many people will commemorate the actual opening of the library in mid-2006.

The Evergreen Branch Library is next in line among 20 voter-approved library bond construction projects that will be completed by the year 2010. The event marked the start of construction on a 21,500 square foot facility that will replace the existing 7,448 square foot library that served the Evergreen community since 1976.

District 8 Councilmember Dave Cortese emphasized that the library project is a huge priority in the Evergreen, because there is such a demonstration of demand in this community for library services.

He commended San Jose Public Library Director Jane Light and her staff for “doing a tremendous job of keeping the Evergreen Branch Library project on time and on track.” He also thanked the Friends of Evergreen Library for being the loudest voice in the community for library services and improvements.

Hongsheng Ping and his wife Qing Xia admire the plans of the new Evergreen Branch Library and anxiously await the day their daughter Annie will be able to enjoy the new children’s area.

Dr. Rod Cryer, president of the Friends of Evergreen Library, said, “This is the culmination of the hopes and dreams of a lot of people. The community has come forward and said, ‘We support this.’”

Cryer noted that the new library will be three times the size of the old library branch. An added benefit will also be derived from physically locating the library where the parking lot sits today. This will fix the traffic snarl in front, enabling cars coming from the west to make a direct left turn into the parking lot at the stoplight.

The new library will have the look and feel of an upscale bookstore. Highlights of the new branch include an Internet café, a community living room with a fireplace, a technology lab, group and quiet study areas and a community room that will accommodate 85 people. It will also provide significantly more space for seating, collections and computers.