SAN ANTONIO – Velma Pena said seven years of headaches are now being met with hope regarding the Las Palmas Library renovation project.
“It’s exciting,” Pena, the Westwood Square Neighborhood Association president, said. “It’s in dire need of renovations.”
After securing new funding for the project, the San Antonio Public Library is looking to revive some of the scaled-back renovation plans at its Las Palmas location. SAPL secured $385,000 in additional funding, now increasing the total project budget to $6.4 million.
“We are very excited to bring more resources to the Las Palmas Library project,” Kathy Donellan, the interim library director, said.
The funding comes from two sources. The H-E-B Foundation donated $250,000 to name the new expansion of a 2,000-square-foot community gathering space. The remaining $135,000 comes from a Federal Appropriation initiated by U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-20) to help construct the new Learn at SPL site at the branch.
Two bond projects—one in 2017 and one in 2022—back these renovations. The 2022 bond project had to change because of rising material costs. The SAPL Board of Trustees voted in March to scale back upgrades at the Las Palmas location on Castroville Road because of budget concerns. The library closed for construction more than a year ago, but upgrades have been talked about for years.
In March, the SAPL Board of Trustees voted to scale back upgrades at the Las Palmas location because of budget concerns. The board’s vote to change the renovation design removed a bathroom, windows and solar-shade systems to protect from heat and glare. It also changed materials for the planned plaza and removed meeting room support and storage space.
Now, after securing this new funding, the board recommends adding back the solar shade system, meeting room support space, and certain landscaping features.
“I see nothing but progress happening now with the renovation project,” Delia Ramirez Trimble, the President of the Friends of Las Palmas Library group, said.
On Wednesday night, SAPL held a community meeting to update the community on the project and ask how they wanted to spend the money. Respondents commonly added the solar-shade system back.
“We need some type of shading on the glass,” Pena said.
So far, the renovations have included improvements to the children’s and teen areas, renovations to the existing bathrooms, meeting room improvements, service desk improvements, a refresh of the Connect Technology Lab, a new digital exterior sign, the addition of a learning center, roof replacement, HVAC improvements, an LED lighting retrofit, and an expansion of 2,000 square feet.
The SAPL Board of Trustees will discuss these recommendations at its monthly meeting in May.