Mayor: Economy Killing Downtown Library
Published: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 3:06 PM PST
Mayor Jerry Sanders says it would take some kind of magic to salvage the concept of a new central library for downtown San Diego and that he can't picture how it would happen.
He said the long push for a main library downtown has been just about brought to an end.
"The economy has brought it just about to the end," Sanders said in an interview. "Reality is not going to allow a library of that type downtown."
The cost of the downtown library was last estimated in 2005 at $185 million. The estimate hasn't been updated despite fluctuations in labor and construction costs. The city has long set aside $80 million in taxpayer funds meant for downtown for the project. In addition, proponents counted on a $20 million grant from the state and they hoped to raise the rest -- $85 million -- from private donors. But only $3 million has been pledged for the effort since it was approved in 2002. Two-million dollars of that came from the owner of The San Diego Union Tribune, David Copley, who has been dissolving his newspaper and looking for a buyer for it.
Sanders said he expected the state to withdraw its grant for the project and that city money set aside for the facility will need to be freed up for other uses.
"We are going to need the money saved at CCDC for the Embarcadero and other uses," he said.
I interviewed Sanders for a column I'm writing about the budget controversy that has engulfed City Hall in the past few weeks. To deal with a shortfall in this year's budget, Sanders proposed that the city shutter seven libraries before the City Council rebuffed his move and located one-time funds to keep them operating for the next few months. The mayor has warned that the council's decision will pass along a $10 million shortfall to an already frightening budget taking shape for next year.
I asked him, just to be sure, whether he was saying that San Diego should wake up from its dream of a downtown library.
"I can't imagine that there's going to be any rabbits brought out of the hat now," he said.
That, after all, would require magic.
A member of Sanders' staff called back to clarify that proponents of the library can still prove its viability by raising the $50 million in private funds needed to break ground by the end of the year.
Editor´s Choice
The reader comments you won't want to miss. (Editor's Choice selection do not represent the views of the editors. They are comments that seem to add to the discussion as opposed to less productive insults or arguments.)
28 Comments so far on this story...
Reader feedback
- Users may post more than one comment, but should not pose as multiple users. Multiple posts from the same IP address but with a different user name on each will be reviewed to determine whether abuse has occurred.
- Posts with overly personal attacks or unsubstantiated allegations may be edited or deleted.
- Please be patient with the posts -- there may be a delay before they appear on the site -- and make sure to enter the code in the "image verification" box.
|
PRINT 
E-MAIL STORY
SHARE
FACEBOOK
REDDIT
NEWSVINE
DIGG
DEL.ICIO.US
BLINKLIST
Don't want to miss a story? Want to be the first to know about breaking news? Sign up now.