Residents Thanked for Library Funding : Moorpark: Supervisor at ceremony recognizes community leaders for raising $86,000 toward the expansion project.

County leaders credited devoted Moorpark residents for sparking the first growth in Ventura County’s library system in five years at a Tuesday ceremony hailing the coming expansion of the Moorpark Library.

Supervisor Vicky Howard unveiled a plaque and thanked local business and community leaders for raising $86,000 toward the construction that will expand the tiny library by two-thirds.

“We wanted to be sure that everyone who has contributed to this project would be recognized,” Howard said. “It has been wonderful to see the community and local businesses come together as they have here.”

Howard said funding the library expansion was one of her final goals before leaving office at the end of the year. Earlier this year, she helped organize the Moorpark telethon that raised $35,000.

Residents and businesses contributed another $51,000 to fund the project, which will expand the 5,000-square-foot building to 8,300 square feet.

“It’s nice to be recognized,” said Eduardo Cerda, employee of a Moorpark-based pharmaceutical company that donated $5,000 to the project.

“I think all of these businesses have been in this community for a long time and feel indebted to the people here,” Cerda said. “The people of Moorpark have been good to us, so we wanted to give something back.”

Three-fourths of the $421,000 project will be covered by city and county money, with the rest coming from private donations.

The county-run library has been forced to rely more heavily on donations from cities and residents in recent years as state tax cuts have shrunk budgets and staffs.

Even with the contributions, the project faces a few remaining hurdles.

Howard said Tuesday that the project is still $10,000 shy of the funding needed.

Library boosters said they were confident that they could raise the remaining money in time to get the project off the ground early next year.

As soon as the money is in the bank, county library officials said they will accept bids for the project. The expansion is scheduled to be finished in six months, said Barbara Loczi, Howard’s administrative assistant.

As for finding books to add to the library’s 33,000 titles, Library Services Director Dixie Adeniran said new shelves will be filled with books acquired through private donations.

“I’m afraid we don’t have the funds to increase our stock of books,” Adeniran said. “But even with its current collection, this library needed some additional room to breathe.”

Parking problems and cramped conditions inside the small library have been a constant concern of area residents, according to Moorpark Mayor Paul Lawrason.

“That’s why this has been such a priority,” Lawrason said. “And we have been thrilled with the support we’ve gotten from everyone to make this happen.”

Adeniran credited Howard’s persistence and wide community support for pushing the project through a mire of red tape and budget constraints. She said it is the county’s first new library project since the 1989 completion of a facility in Port Hueneme, she said.

“This is something that people in Moorpark have been wanting for a long time,” she said. “It’s great to see them come out and raise the money, especially at a time when money is tight.”