RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA : Ground Is Broken for County Library

As crews worked on a new intermediate school next door, officials gathered Wednesday to break ground for a new county library, the latest addition in this young and growing community of 20,000.

“This is another milestone, I believe, in testimony to what we started to accomplish a long time ago in Rancho Santa Margarita,” said Anthony R. Moiso, president and chief executive officer of the Santa Margarita Co., master developer of the community.

When completed in late 1994, the 16,300-square-foot library will hold more than 81,000 volumes and include a computer access network, study areas, a young adult section, a magazine lounge, a children’s storytelling terrace, a community room and a Friends of the Library bookstore.

Local dignitaries, including County Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, called the library an important addition to the community and surrounding area.

The $6-million library, a joint project of the county and Santa Margarita Co., will be in the heart of the community’s town center on La Promesa, next to the future central park. It will be the 28th branch in the county system.

“This place where we’re standing right now--the town center--is the jewel of the whole place,” Moiso said.

Varkel Construction Inc. will build the library, designed by Brion S. Jeannette & Associates of Newport Beach. In 1982, the construction company built the San Juan Capistrano Library, which was designed by architect Michael Graves.