SR-850-005-01 (10)
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SfP 1 7 1985
CM:JJ:LCB:CAA:dvrn
Clty Council Meeting 9/17/85
Santa Manlca,
Cal~farn~a
TO:
Mayor and Clty Council
FROl.\1 :
City Staff
SUBJECT:
Recor
to RE
Cel1~
r ...0 \
~ sD-OO~
ze Cl.ty Manager
.r Maln Library
ProJect
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of t
report 15 to request City Council approval
for a postponement of the Maln Ll.brary Ceiling Repalr proJect ln
order to allow for further cons1deratl.on of the alternat1ve of
replaclngjrelocat1ng/renovating the entire llbrary facll1ty. It
1$ antl.clpated that wlthl.n Sl.X months staff will be prepared to
provl.de a comprehenslve report on the beneflts,
costs nd
tlmefraP'le assoclated Wl. th construct1on of a new maln ll.brary.
Contingency plans will also be developed for inter1m relocat1on
of or repalrs to the library prlor to completlon of a new
structure in the event that air quall.ty should deterlorate at an
accelerated rate.
The following dlSCUSSl.on l.S gUl.ded by four overrldlng prlncl.ples:
1) The health and safety of Cl.ty employees and the public
will not be compromlsed 1n the development of alternatl.ve
actlon plans.
2) Present and long-term llbrary serV1ce needs of the
communlty should be included in the evaluatl.on of
alternatlve solutions to the eel.ling problem.
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SEP 1 7 1985
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3) Due to the signlficant costs lnvolved (both In real
dollars and opportunity costs) as well as the permanent
nature of these capital ~mprovements, the discusslon of
alternatlves must give adequate consideratlon to the most
cost-effectlve use of public resources.
4) The analysis proposed In thlS report and subsequent
declsion-maklng w~ll be pursued as expedltiously as
posslole wlth the goal of obtainlng Council conslderatlon
and dlrectlon on the proJect wlthln SlX months.
BACKGROUND
Concerns about the presence of asbestos in the cel11ng at the
Maln Llbrary flrst surfaced as an lssue for the Clty Manager and
Clty Counc~l ln the fall of 1983.
Prlor to the 1977 ban by the
EPA, asbestos was an extremely common bUlldlng materlal used for
lnsulatlon and flreprooflng
A flrm was promptly retalned to conduct a sClentlfic analysls of
conditlons. A report outlining testlng procedures and concludlng
that no violation of current health and safety regulatlons
eXlsted was transmltted to Councll ln February of 1984. However,
lt was pointed out that asbestos materlals deterlorate over tlme
and that eventually remedlal measures would have to be taken to
remove or encapsulate the celllng material.
By April 1984,
alternatlve mltigatlon measures had been evaluated and an
operatlonal plan was developed to proceed wlth temporary closure
of the Maln Llbrary and repalr of the celllng.
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The abatement method selected was to remove the asbestos-laden
library ceJ..l~ng and to encapsulate asbestos materJ..als J..n wall
cavi t~es and other areas where no contact damage could occur.
Closure of the Ma~n LJ..brary was antJ..cJ..pated to extend for a
perJ..od of at least six months J..n 1985-86 after reopening of the
Ocean Park Branch LJ..brary. Necessary fundJ..ng was approved J..n the
1984-85 and 1985-86 budgets to expedJ..te the ceilJ..ng repaJ..r work
and to mJ..nJ..m~ze disruption of servJ..ces to the communJ..ty.
estJ..mates for the proJect ranged from $1.5 to $2 millJ..on.
Cost
FACTORS LEADING TO RE-EVALUATION OF PROJECT
As staff plannJ..ng has proceeded over the last year, the
complexJ..ty and difficulty of this undertaking have become
abundantly clear. WhJ..le one of the prJ..nc~pal J..ssues has been to
evaluate the myrJ..ad of engJ..neerJ..ng and sCJ..entJ..fJ..c approaches to
abatement, J..t J..S by no means the only issue. Other key J..ssues
have J..ncluded how to structure the constructJ..on management and
IJ..abilJ.. ty provJ..sJ..ons of
negotJ..atJ..ng J..nterJ..m space
technJ..cal servJ..ces unJ.. ts
the
specJ..fJ..cations~
locatJ..ng
and
for the library admJ..nJ..stratJ..ve and
as
well as space for 225,000 books;
personnel and services redeployment during the c10sure~ and means
to continue work on the automation proJect durlng the closure.
As plannlng became more speclfic, cost impllcations have become
more obvlous. For example, retentJ..on of J..nterJ..ffi space for
non-publJ..c servin~ unJ..ts of the Main Library lS estJ..mated on an
annual basJ..s at between $300,000 - $500,000.
In additlon,
outlays have
other 1J..brary needs which
come to the forefront in
requJ..red large
the past year.
capital
These
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~ncluded a feaS1b1l1ty analys1s of a new parking structure
(estimated cost $4-$5 m1llion) to deal w1th a ser~ous park1ng
shortage 1n the vlc1nlty of the Maln L1brary; resumpt10n of the
llbrary's long-awalted automatlon proJect (estimated $500,000-$1
m~1l1on); and growlng concerns over 1nadequate space in the
eXlsting Main L~brary. All of these ~ssues wlll have to be
addressed by the C1ty in the forseeab1e future.
Coupl1ng these factors w1th a $1.5-$2 mill10n constructlon
proJect which will not lead to any enhancement 1n llbrary
serV1ces to the commun1ty and may llm1t future opt1ons to library
remodel1ng due to the encapsulat10n of some asbestos 1n the wall
cav1t1es has led to a des1re to reVlew alternatlve solut1ons to
the asbestos removal need.
C01ncident W1 th the planning process for the library and the
growing dismay over budget and operat1onal lmpacts has been the
stepplng up in prior1tles of the C1V1C Center redevelopment
proJect. On June 25, 1985 the Councll considered and adopted a
one year t1me frame for f1nal1zat1on of a development plan and
environmental lmpact report for the C1V1C Center s.l.te. Whlle
relocatlon of the Main Library to the C1V.l.C Center area 1S only
one of several posslble al ternatlves, the new momentum 1n thlS
POllCY area has given lmpetus to a more thorough analysls of the
varlOUS library cap.l.tal lmprovement needs.
PROPOSAL
Staff recommends that Counell authorize a postponement of the
llbrary celllng removal proJect for SlX months to enable the
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evaluatlon and consideration of alternatlve Solutlons to the
asbestos problem. These alternatlve solutions wll1 1nclude:
1) Proceedlng with the proJect as origlnally proposed.
2) Incorporatlon of space enhancements and/or parking
improvements with orlglnal proJect.
3) Sale and/or lease the eX1sting library and adJacent
Parking Authorlty lots and relocating the Maln Library to
the C1V1C Center area.
4) Sale and/or lease of the existlng site and relocatlng to
another locatlon.
As lndlcated earller, it is felt that a comprehenslve analysls of
the lssues can be prepared for Councll consideration wlthLn SLX
months. It is lmportant to note that even if the proJect as
currently structured were to proceed, actual constructlon would
probably not begin for S1X months.
If the dec1s1on 1S made to proceed W1 th construction of a new
library I 1 t is estimated that three years w1ll be needed from
start to completion of the proJect.
The rema1nder of this report hlghllghts those 1ssues WhlCh will
be consldered or undertaken over the next six months.
SHORT-TERN ISSUES
Employee and PubllC Health and Safety
Four alr monltoring tests have been made at locatlons
throughout
recent of
the Maln Library Slnce October 1983.
these tests was conducted Wl thln the
The most
last two
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weeks. Samples taken from the same 1ocatlons In the library
have shown the following ranges of fl.ber content per
centimeter over time:
November 1983 .02 to .09
November 1984 .015 to .026
September 1985 .004 to .008
Although federal law uses a 2 fl.ber per centimeter maXl.ffiUm
standard, most experts concur that a level of .1 should be
consl.dered an actJ.on level by bUJ.ldJ.ng owners. As can be seen,
readings l.n the Main Library have never been at the action level
and in fact are presently lower than l.n the past.
In order to l.nsure continued safe condltJ.ons in the ll.brary, alr
monJ.toring tests wl.ll be conducted on a quarterly basl.S In the
future.
A library staff team wlll be worklng to J.dentlfy operational
issues whJ.ch must be addressed lf the library is to remal.n open.
These l.ssues prJ.marily revolve around handling of varJ.ous
malntenance needs.
In additl.on, proposals will be sought regardlng the feasib1.11.ty
of interlm abatement measures such as partlal encapsulatlon J.n
areas of partJ.cular concerni and addl.tlonal book cleaning.
Flnally, contingency plannlng wlll continue for timely temporary
relocation of some or all of the Main Library serVlces If that
should become necessary.
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4) The drawlng abl1l ty of adJacent retall, commercial and
publlC actlvlties.
5} High ViSlbllity and identlflcatlon wlth the area.
6} Location on busy prlInary streets or arterial hlghways,
Wl th the library located at an lntersection or corner
locatlon wlth easy access to the slte.
7) Located close to public transportatlon.
8} Convenlent access to publlC parklng.
9) An area of hlgh pedestrian trafflc.
10) illnenltles and llabillties ln the area.
Several sources of lnformatlon will be used In this area of the
evaluation.
follow:
a) Bus serVlce was analyzed for the present Maln Library and
the C1V1C Center alternative site. Four SMMBL routes and
Some examples of types of data to be analyzed
one SCRTD route serve the eXlsting library for a total of
765 trips per day past the site. SlX SMHBL routes and
four SCRTD routes serve the C1V1C Center area for a total
of 1,234 dally trlps.
b) Concerns have been raised over continued proxlilll ty of
Maln Llbrary serVlces to senior citizens. Census tract
maps were revlewed to determlne the distrlbutlon of
senlor ci tlzen resldents over the age of 65 throughout
As of 1980, 6893 (47.6%) of senior
north of Wllshire: 4483 (30.9%) Ilved
the community.
resldents llved
between P1CO and Wllshlre: and 3102 (21.4%) between P1CO
and the south Cl ty liml ts. Surveys have shown falrly
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equal use by sen10r res1dents of all four
facil1 t1es. Further, a 1977 survey conducted
library 1ndicated the following breakdown for
transportat1on used to reach the Main L1brary:
Walk1ng 18.3%
Automob1le 71.5%
Pub11C Transportat1on 6.9%
B1cycle 3.4%
c) Ample parking availabil1ty 1S essential to the success of
any Ma1n L1brary locat1on. As 1nd1cated ear11er, the
ser10US parking problems 1n the area of the current Ma1n
L1brary must be addressed 1f the facl11ty reffia1ns there.
llbrary
for the
mode of
Park1ng constraints of any potential slte w111 be a key
evaluat1ve factor.
Costs and Financ1n9
Wh11e 1t 15 premature to prov1de f1rm estimates of f1nancing
needs for a new Ilbrary, the elements of the analysis can be
identified depend1ng on the alternat1ve selected. Costs should
be viewed both ln terms of redl dollars and opportunity costs.
Assume:
1) Repair only - removal of asbestos and construct1on of new
ce1llng; relocation costs; 1nterim staff and storage
space: roof replacement. No offsett1ng revenues.
2) Repa1r, space improvements, park1ng 1mprovements - same
as above plus space planner, remodel costs; park1ng
structure des1gn and construct1on. Poss1ble offsett1ng
revenue from parking assessments.
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revenue from park~ng assessments.
3) Construction of new l~brary on civ~c Center s~te
Inter1m health and safety measures i sale or lease of
11brary site plus adJacent park~ng author1ty lots with or
w~thout ex~sting bu~ld1ng ($65 square feet x 88,000
square feet :;: $5.72 million) i construct~on of a 60,000
square foot l1brary (tak1ng advantage of possible shared
meet1ng fac1li t1es W1 th adJacent publlC build1ngs)
estimated at $130/ square foot ($7.8 m1llion); prov1sion
of parking at C1V1C Center; no addltional land cost.
4) Constructlon of new 11brary at another s~te same as
above with posslble addit10n of land purchase costs.
W1th the exception of the f~rst alternative, there w~ll clearly
be d f~nancing gap. However, prellminary est~mates ~nd~cate that
the amount ~s manageable. What ~s 1mportant to note lS that the
commun~ty' s library needs do not stop with alternat1ve 1 and
pressure w1l1 cont1nue to bU1ld to address both the overcrowd~ng
and park1ng shortage, neither of which are low-cost 1tems.
There are
a
var1ety of
ranging
means of financing new l1brary
from issuance of cert1f1cates of
construct~on
part1c1pat1on to tax overr~des to varlOUS assessment programs.
Proposal of a financing mechanism wlll be part of the forthcom~ng
report.
Relat10nship to C~v~c Center Plannins
The attract~veness of the civic Center area as an alternat1ve
s~te ~s due not only to the fact that the C1ty owns the land but
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also because of the desirab1.li ty of enhancing the cultural and
C1.V1.C amen1.t1.es 1.ll the area. Exc1. t1.ng opportun1. ties exist for
11.nkages w1.th the aud1.torium or other perform1.ng arts fac1.11.ty.
At the same t1.me, space will rema1.n to share the site W1. th
poss1.ble revenue-produc1.ng uses wh1.ch can help offset the costs
of construct1.0n.
The use analys 1.S for the C1. vie Center s 1. te J..S scheduled for
publ1.c and Counc1.l reV1.ew early in the calendar year. Therefore,
cons1.dera t1.0n of the library optJ..on f1. ts 1.nto the antJ..c1..f>ated
plann1.ng process.
SUMMARY
The Ma1.n Library 1.S an 1.mportant and highly visJ..ble resource 1.0
Santa Monica and the Wests1.de. The Main L1.brary alone accounts
for c1.rculat1.on of 800,000 volumes per year. D1.srupt1.on of this
serV1.ce w1.ll have a signif1.cant 1.mpact on both the publ1.c and
employees, therefore it 1.S critical that the proJect lead1.ng to
th1.S temporary d1.sruption be well-concelved to address the needs
of the l1.brary well 1.nto the future in a cost-effect1.ve and
eff1.cient manner.
TO summar1.ze, the proposal is to author1.ze a s1.x-month h1.atus 1.n
undertak1.ng the 11.brary ce1.l1.ng repa1.r proJect to allow for a
more thorough analys1.s of alternat1.ve S1.tes for constructJ..on of a
new 11.brary as well as poss1.ble addi t1.onal components to the
repal.r proJect at the existl.ng site such as space and parkJ..ng
enhancements. The tl.m1.ng d1.fferentl.al 1.S roughly as follows:
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Current proposal: Est1mate 15-18 months to complet1on
New construct1on: Est1mate 42 months to completlon
Wh1le the d1fferent1al appears slgniflcant on the face, lt 1S
felt that the slgn1f1cant long-term opportun1ties 1ncumbent ln a
new constructlon proJect make it worthy of conSlderatlon.
Both the short-term (6 month) and long-term tlme frames wl1l
include stepped up mon1tor1ng and inter1m Solut1ons to health and
safety concerns as necessary. Current budget allocations for the
proJect will rema1n intact to provide contingency funds.
Because th1s subJect 1S of great concern to Ilbrary patrons and
employees, Staff w1ll continue the open dlScussion approach
ut111zed to date in keep1ng people informed on proJect progress.
RECOMMENDATION
Author1ze the C1ty Manager to conduct a Slx-month study to
determlne recommendatlons for alternatlve approaches to the
Ilbrary ceiling asbestos removal proJect.
Prepared by: John Jal1ll
City Hanager
Lynne C. Barrette
Ass1stant City Manager
Carol A. Aronoff
Clty Librarlan
(Llbraryl)
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