Significant corners will have to be cut in the two-year, $30-million renovation of Berkeley (Calif.) Public Library's downtown Central Library unless the city council approves an additional $1.2 million for the project.
The Contra Costa Times reported January 25 that the tight budget means the community meeting room will be unfinished, with no lights, electrical outlets, or carpeting; storage space will be eliminated; fixed shelves will replace moveable ones; and the building's terrazzo floor, glass-block windows, and stenciled ceiling will be lost.
The terrazzo, glass, and stenciling were instrumental in approval of the project by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission, so eliminating those features may prompt the body to veto the renovation of the library, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The renovation was funded through a 1996 ballot initiative that also financed several other downtown projects. Although the $49 million total was seen as inadequate, surveys indicated voters wouldn't approve a larger figure.
Posted February 1, 1999.