SEAL BEACH : Leisure World Board to Take Over Library

Leisure World’s governing board made a successful $225,000 bid for the county library adjacent to the retirement community, fending off the impending closure of the facility.

The 22-year-old library, which will be operated privately for Leisure World residents, was one of six county branches threatened with closure. Leisure World’s governing Golden Rain Foundation rejected a compromise offer from the county that could have kept the branch open two days a week.

Rather than face limited operating hours and an uncertain future, foundation board members chose to bid for the 4,000-square-foot building on three-fourths of an acre at Tuesday’s auction of 19 county properties.

“This is a very big deal for our residents,” said Seal Beach Councilman George Brown, a Leisure World resident who was instrumental in negotiating with the county to put the property up for sale.

About 98% of the library’s patrons live at Leisure World, Brown said. Many of the retirement community’s 8,700 residents would be unable to travel greater distances for library services if the branch were closed, Brown said.

During negotiations for the purchase of the library, city officials discovered that Seal Beach had a priority option to buy the library if it closed. The city’s right of first refusal stems from its $90,000 contribution to the county in 1972 for construction of the library. In complicated negotiations, the city relinquished its right to purchase the library in exchange for ownership of the books, which the city is selling to Leisure World for $35,000.

Howard McCurdy, president of Golden Rain Foundation’s board, said the library might have to close for a week to change the book check-out system. The foundation is using the private library operated by the Laguna Hills Leisure World as a model.