REPORT TO BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES
SUBJECT
Title
Recommend the City Council Approve an Agreement Between the City of Sunnyvale, the Sunnyvale School District, and Fremont Union High School District for the Development and Operation of the Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center at Lakewood Elementary School
Report
BACKGROUND
In July, 2012, the Council held a special joint session with the Board of Library Trustees to study future options for the Library and Civic Center. Staff was directed to explore the construction of a Branch Library at Lakewood Park. The following are a few of the elements that contributed to that decision:
1. Lakewood is the only area in the City where residents must travel more than two miles to access a public library (Attachment 3).
2. Highway 101 serves as a distinct barrier between the Lakewood neighborhood and adjacent neighborhoods.
3. Lakewood has the second lowest percentage of library card holders of any City neighborhood.
4. Significant growth in residential units in the Morse/Tasman Industrial area was anticipated.
5. The Lakewood neighborhood has diverse demographics that reflect inequities in income, educational attainment and access to services. Moreover, Lakewood Elementary School is a Title 1 school which means that at least 40% of the student population qualifies for free or reduced lunch.
In the initial 2012 discussion of a Branch Library, it was anticipated that proceeds from the sale of Raynor Activity Center would be available to fund the project. However, the sale of Raynor Activity Center was delayed due to a lawsuit and funding was not initially available.
The “Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center” Concept
In June 2016, the Raynor Activity Center lawsuit was resolved and funding became available for the Branch Library project. In July 2016, staff provided an informational memo to Council (RTC No. 16-0605) with an update on the Branch Library project and a recommendation to defer the Fair Oaks Park Project to prioritize and align multiple projects scheduled for Lakewood Park. These projects included the Branch Library, the Lakewood Park Renovation and Enhancement Project, the Demolition of Lakewood Pool Project and Renovation of the Lakewood Park Building. In taking this action to consolidate projects, the vision for a stand-alone Branch Library was redefined to become a Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center that would serve as a primary resource for literacy, learning and wellness activities for the residents of north Sunnyvale.
The original assumptions for the Branch Library project in 2012 included:
1. A ten to twelve thousand square foot facility; (the building size was increased to seventeen thousand square feet during the FY 2016/17 capital project cycle);
2. A level of service equal to 42 hours a week with no services on Friday or Saturday (currently staff is proposing 48 hours per week, closed on Sunday);
3. Limited staff with support from the Main Library on a rotational basis;
4. Construction of a Branch Library within the existing City-owned park, or joint-use field area on Sunnyvale School District (SSD) property; and,
5. Funding would come from the proceeds of the sale of the Raynor Activity Center.
In December 2016, staff initiated a discussion with SSD to determine whether the joint investment and decision-making process that is part of the City’s and SSD’s successful collaboration at the Columbia Neighborhood Center could be replicated in the Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center project to leverage resources and enhance the project scope. These discussions proved to be fruitful and resulted in a commitment from the SSD to work with the City in the completion of a feasibility study.
Feasibility Study
The Council approved the concept of a feasibility study at its February 7, 2017 meeting (RTC No. 17-0072).
The desired outcomes of the feasibility study were:
1. Determine if a partnership was viable by:
a. Defining the value and benefit for each partner’s constituencies
b. Defining the framework for governance and operational model (including the contributions of each partner)
c. Confirming that a proposed project site could successfully accommodate the partnership model for a Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center
2. Understand conceptual total project costs;
3. Identify remaining decision points of mutual interest;
4. Gather data to inform subsequent public outreach processes; and
5. Gather data to inform the Lakewood Park Renovation and Enhancement Project scope and budget.
Approval to Negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding
On January 7, 2018, the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Board of Library Trustees held a joint meeting to review the results of the feasibility study and recommended the Council approve negotiating with both SSD and the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) an agreement for the construction and operation of the Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center. FUHSD had been investigating ways to improve services in North Sunnyvale since the closure of Sunnyvale High School and asked to participate in the partnership during this time.
At this joint meeting, the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Board of Library Trustees also supported staff undertaking outreach activities to gather input on the one-story and two-story options for the building suggested in the feasibility study. Community input on potential building options occurred after the most feasible options were identified in the feasibility study. A Tabling Event was held at Lakewood School on April 26, 2018. More than 50 people attended, providing a wide variety of feedback, generally indicating that a single-story facility would be preferred (Attachment 4).
Following the community input, staff from the school districts and the City began negotiating the terms of the Agreement. FUHSD approved the Agreement at their regular meeting on December 3, 2019. SSD approved the Agreement at their regular meeting on December 12, 2019. The Council is scheduled to consider the Agreement on January 14, 2020.
EXISTING POLICY
CC-7.2a: Study the space needs of the Library as the population grows and diversifies and recommend the most appropriate configuration for services and facilities.
CC-10.6: Leverage available resources by pursuing co-funded and/or cooperative agreements for provision and maintenance of programs, facilities and services, to maximize benefits to the community. Partners may include, but are not limited to, school districts, non-profit groups, governmental agencies and businesses.
CC-12: Maximum access to recreation services, facilities and amenities. The City strives to maximize access to all services, facilities and amenities.
LT-8.7: Conduct a cost/benefit analysis to determine whether the general community would be well-served during non-school hours by capital improvements to school-owned open space and/or recreational facilities. The cost/benefit analysis should consider ongoing maintenance costs and responsibilities. When it is determined that the community would be well-served by the capital improvement, the City will consider funding a share of the costs of those improvements proportionate to the City’s use.
LT-8.8: Support the acquisition or joint use through agreements with partners of suitable sites to enhance Sunnyvale’s open spaces and recreational facilities based on community need and through such strategies as development of easements and right-of-way for open space use, conversion of sites to open space from developed use of land and land banking.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Appropriate environmental review for the Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center will be completed when the Council decides to move forward with the project and the project reaches the level of design needed to move forward with the environmental review.
DISCUSSION
Philosophy, Approach and Space Programming
The Sunnyvale Public Library is a service-driven organization that operates in a continually evolving and increasingly diverse 21st Century environment where critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, cross-cultural understanding and technology are hallmarks of a learning environment.
The proposed Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center at Lakewood Elementary is intended to serve as modern library; a place for the community to gather, to learn, to experience and to share in the development of lifelong learning and capacity-building activities.
The building is proposed to be located on SSD property, on the site of the unused and closed Lakewood Pool, providing the least impact to existing open space in Lakewood Park at just under two acres. Additionally, the use of existing shared parking preserves open space. Renovation of Lakewood Park will occur following the construction of the Branch Library. The park project’s anticipated scope will include: replacement of City athletic fields with synthetic turf, renovation of the existing park building (including restrooms), pathways, lighting, and planting material. Community input on the park renovations is planned as part of the design scope for the park renovation.
The new building’s space program of approximately 20,000 square feet includes: approximately 20,000 square feet of space to be operated by City as a Branch Library. The building includes a community room for recreation classes, plus two rooms totaling approximately 2,400 square feet for primary use by SSD and FUHSD. Additional square footage has been included to account for non-assignable square footage such as circulation and restrooms.
Summary of Terms and Conditions
In the proposed Agreement, SSD and FUHSD would agree to:
• Lease the project site from SSD to the City for a period of 50 years with an option of an additional 25 years for a total cost of $1 over the term of the lease;
• Each School District will contribute $3 million towards the cost of construction of the facility. These contributions are fixed, regardless of the final cost of construction. The City will be responsible for any costs that exceed the current estimated project cost of $28,341,211;
• SSD will contribute a 10% share of a pro-rata portion of ongoing operations, three staff positions and maintenance costs of the facility. FUHSD will contribute 15%;
• Design of the project must meet Division of State Architecture standards for buildings located on school property; and
• A joint task force, like the City’s current arrangement at the Columbia Neighborhood Center and Columbia Middle School, will provide oversight and guidance to operations of the facility.
The districts will receive priority use of approximately 2,400 square feet of partner space at the Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center.
The Fremont Union High School District Board of Trustees approved the Agreement at their regular meeting on December 3, 2019. The Sunnyvale school District Board of Trustees approved the Agreement at their regular meeting on December 12, 2019.
Next Steps
Staff estimates that the design phase of the project (including environmental review) will begin three months after all parties approve the agreement and is anticipated to take approximately eighteen months, commencing April 2020. Community input will occur in the earlier part of the design phase. Construction is currently anticipated to start Spring 2022 and be completed in late 2023. Grand Opening target date is late 2023 or early 2024.
FISCAL IMPACT
The current City estimated project cost for design and construction of the project is $28,341,211 (Attachment 2). The FY 2019/20 Budget includes $20,787,180 for this project, not including the $6 million contribution from the districts. The Friends of the Sunnyvale Library have also committed $500,000 toward construction. Once the final design and agreements are completed, staff will bring a Budget Modification to City Council for consideration.
Current estimates for the operating budget, based on an assumption of a 48 hour per week schedule, not adjusted for 2024 inflation, show a total annual operating cost of $1,450,291. Following reallocation of current Library resources and deduction of partner contributions by Sunnyvale School District ($77,729) and Fremont Union High School District ($116,593), additional annual allocation needed will be $226,839. Staff plan to request this allocation in the General Fund budget process for FY 2023/24, which could potentially be offset using the Service Level Set-aside funding included in the FY 2019/20 Budget. The current ongoing set aside is approximately $1M per year. (The draft operating budget is included as Exhibit G to the Agreement, Attachment 2).
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made through posting of the Board of Library Trustees agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board, and by making the agenda and report available at the Office of the City Clerk and on the City’s website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Recommend that the City Council approve an Agreement with the Sunnyvale School District and Fremont Union High School District for a Joint Use Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center at Lakewood Elementary School.
2. Recommend that the City Council not approve an Agreement for a Joint Use Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center at Lakewood Elementary School.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Recommend that the City Council approve an Agreement with the Sunnyvale School District and Fremont Union High School District for a Joint Use Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center at Lakewood Elementary School.
Staff
Prepared by: Cherise Brandell, Director, Library and Community Services
Reviewed by: Tim Kirby, Director, Finance
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director, Public Works
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Reserved for Report to Council
2. Agreement Between the City of Sunnyvale, Sunnyvale School District and Fremont Union High School District for the Development and Operation of the Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center at Lakewood Elementary School (with Exhibits A - G)
3. Map of 2-Mile Service Radius to Local Libraries
4. Verbatim responses from April 26, 2018 Tabling Event