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# Library to cost $21M more than expected
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/library-to-cost-21m-more-than-expected/
- Published: 2003-03-25T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T01:54:32.000Z
- Author: Carolyn Sackariason
- Tags: local, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*City officials look to cut other projects to pay for new facility*

Cost overruns for the new library has forced city officials to consider diverting more than $21 million from other projects to pay for the new facility.

The City Council tonight will consider taking money away from more than a dozen other projects so it can pay for the new library, which is now expected to cost $72 million. The original estimate for the library was $56 million and city officials at the time expected $9 million in cost overruns.

But that estimate has now ballooned another $12 million, leaving city officials scrambling to make up the difference. Final plans for the library are being finalized and construction is supposed to begin this summer. The current main library was closed to the public on Monday and a temporary library on Fifth Street is supposed to open in April.

40C,“We saved a lot of money over the years,” said Councilman Ken Genser. “Now we have to look at these other projects to see where we can take it.”

Voters a few years ago approved a $26 million bond to pay for part of the library and the rest was to come from downtown redevelopment funds.

But it appears it won’t be enough. Money to fill the gap could come from a host of other capital improvement projects that total $30 million.

The city, which is facing a $11 million deficit this year, enjoyed a cash surplus over the past 10 years that allowed officials to allocate millions of dollars for capital improvement projects. About one-third of the funds are earmarked for maintenance and replacement programs and two-thirds are for one-time projects.

To deal with the growing deficit from a loss of sales tax revenues, city officials already have deferred millions of dollars in capital improvement projects.

The city could halt funding on even more projects ranging from maintenance of Santa Monica Boulevard to a City Hall expansion.

There is more than $6.7 million available from CalTrans which transferred the money to the city to pay for long term maintenance on Santa Monica Boulevard. Another $6.1 million could be used for the library if officials put a seismic upgrade and rehabilitation of City Hall on hold.

Another $2.6 million earmarked to upgrade downtown parking structure lobbies and restrooms could be put off and another $400,000 planned for “traffic calming” measures along city streets may be axed.

Crosswalk improvements, which would cost $1.1 million, is on the chopping block, as well as $5 million budgeted for a complete overhaul of the Civic Center Area, where City Hall, the courthouse the civic auditorium are located. The project, which is in its early planning stage, will cost well over $120 million.

Plans to rebuild the Santa Monica breakwater, just north of the pier, could be put on hold indefinitely giving the city another $2 million. Another $2.2 million could be diverted from various projects including rebuilding a historic beach house on the Pacific Coast Highway, new city signs, a new park on Euclid Street and improvements to facilities at other parks.

The Airport Park could put on hold, which would free up $6.2 million. The project, still in the planning phase, wasn’t supposed to be constructed until 2005.

When voters approved the bond in 2000, city staff had proposed issuing debt to fill the $9 million gap. But that was when the city was financially stable and cost overruns hadn’t swelled by $12 million.

Now, some have suggested that debt be issued to avert putting off capital improvements. But city staff told council members in a written report that issuing debt service wouldn’t be a wise move.

“Issuing debt of this magnitude nearly doubles the amount that will ultimately be paid and would require 20 years of debt service of $2.4 million annually,” the report states. “In contrast, the diversion of capital funds is one time in nature and their use will not impact the city’s long-term ability to provide on-going programs and services. Over the next years, the city will be cutting ongoing expenditures and identifying new revenue streams to eliminate its deficit. In this climate it would be imprudent to introduce additional ongoing costs, further exacerbating the deficit and deepening the amount of cut required.”

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/032503-01_01.jpg)

Library workers on Monday station themselves outside of the Main Library to turn people away after the facility was closed to the public so a new one can be built. (Photo: Del Pastrana/Daily Press)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 25, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/032503.pdf?ref=smdp.com)