$44 million Fontana library A groundbreaking event

FONTANA Shortly after California voters approved a $350millionlibrary bond in 2000, the city took a risk.

Officials here knew their current library wasn't cutting it. Itwas built in 1963 for a city of 15,000 people. Computers were badlylacking. Books that should have been on shelves were instead piled incardboard boxes, according to one account.

So the city moved to design a new 60,000-square-foot facility.When county studies showed that an even larger library was needed, a93,000-square-foot structure was planned.

Design costs alone would be $2.9million.

And city officials had not been awarded a portion of the stategrant they were eyeing.

"I still remember people coming in and telling me I was crazy,'said City Manager Ken Hunt.

There were moments years, in fact when it was not clear whetherthe gamble designing a library the city could not afford to build byitself would pay off.

It did.

School officials, developers, police officers, old-time residents,and city, county and state politicians converged downtown Thursday tocelebrate the groundbreaking for the city's $44million library, whichwill be the largest in San Bernardino County.

The library, to be operated by the county, is central to thecity's plan to revitalize downtown and is, perhaps, the single mostimportant piece of development in the city.

To say the least, it is an ambitious project.

It is designed for a community of 225,000. It will include ahistorical museum, a 330-seat auditorium, a coffee bar, literacy andcareer centers and more than 200 computers with high-speed Internetservice.

County schools Superintendent Herb Fischer said Thursday that theemphasis on technology would help prepare a new generation ofstudents for the 21st century. The company that was awarded thecontract to build the library already looks forward to entering itsproduct into contests honoring top contractors. And Mayor Mark Nuaimiis hopeful that it will lead to a raft of private investment alongSierra Avenue, Fontana's main street.

The library site is just south of City Hall at 8437 Sierra Ave.

For a city that was just years ago written off as an economicwasteland and cultural backwater, it is a sign of Fontana's emergencefrom darker days.

Longtime resident Joan Geist smiled at the thought of how manypeople the library would draw to her city.

"They're going to see it and say, 'This is no longer a littletown. This is a growing Fontana. This is a new Fontana.''

Geist has lived in Fontana since 1947 and is a member of theFontana Downtown Business Association. She lives right across thestreet from the site and said she looks forward to getting morningcoffee there.

The target for completion is spring 2008.

While Thursday's festivities often focused on the future, bothNuaimi and 5th District county Supervisor Josie Gonzales reminded theaudience of how hard the city had to work to secure library fundingand how long the odds seemed at one time.

Gonzales, a former member of the City Council, recalled Wednesdaythe frustration of watching other cities receive grants while Fontanafell short.

"We would always come in right under someone who had been a littlemore creative than we were,' she said.

Fontana failed in two attempts to convince a state panel to givethe city $20million for the project. Before the third and finalchance at funding, the city pulled out all stops.

A contingency of City Council members, school officials, lawenforcement, developers and others went to Sacramento about this timelast year for their third and final push.

They wore matching Fontana library T-shirts and even put a T-shirt on their stack of design plans.

"We were committed to making it happen,' Nuaimi said. "Sometimesyou have to spend money' a reference to the design costs "to go aftermoney. To us, it was just the cost of doing business.'

Those who recall trying to secure a grant said the fact thatFontana's project was ready to go was an important incentive.

It also helped that the city reduced the amount it was seekingfrom $20million to $15million, even though the project's cost hadrisen due to the increasing price of materials. In the end, the citywas awarded a $14.9million state grant.

Gonzales recalled thinking it was "a shot of Adrenalin in the armfor Fontana.'

In his office earlier this week, Nuaimi spoke about the project.He discussed the impact on business and education. Then, he turnedpersonal.

"In my time as mayor,' he said, "the one thing that really standsout was the time we were selected. ... That was probably the highestI've ever felt. That was just the pinnacle of emotion for me asmayor.'

Even with the $14.9million, the project involves major investmenton the part of the city and, to a lesser extent, the county. The restof the funding comes from as much as $15million in city redevelopmentfunds, at least $1million from the county and about $13million from acity settlement with a developer and private donations.

Geist said she is confident the investment will pay off byboosting the image business owners downtown keep of themselves.

"This is going to make people real proud,' she said, adding sheexpected downtown merchants would take better care of their shopswhen they see the improvement the library brings.

The revitalization effort has already yielded some results. Thecity plans to refurbish storefronts along Sierra soon. There are nowthree plush-looking senior-living centers on the street, and the cityplans an upgrade of its historical theater, too.

The corridor is also dotted with pawn shops, thrift stores, foodshacks and empty storefronts.

Ray Bragg, the city's redevelopment and special projects directorwho spearheaded the library plans, seemed to use understatement whenhe repeated a line often used by the Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.

"As you can tell,' he said, "it's a great day in downtownFontana.'