NEWPORT BEACH : $360,000 Donated for Central Library
A foundation has donated an additional $360,000 toward the construction of an $8-million central library, which promises to be the biggest and most expensive library project in city history.
The contribution Monday from the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation is in addition to $1 million it has already contributed to the construction project.
The new library, which is under construction on Avocado Avenue, will be a two-story, 52,000-square-foot facility. When it opens next year, it will replace the current central library on San Clemente Drive, next door to the Newport Harbor Art Museum.
The existing library, which is on Irvine Co. land, will be shut down. The museum tentatively plans to rent the former library space.
Foundation officials say there is tremendous demand for library service in Newport Beach. Of the 66,000 people living in the city, 63,000 own library cards for one of the city’s four library branches.
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