SEAL BEACH : $35,000 From Leisure World Caps Library Deal

Councilman and Leisure World resident George Brown presented city officials with a $35,000 check Monday night, capping a complex deal that represents the first private acquisition of an Orange County public library.

The retirement community’s governing Golden Rain Foundation made a successful $225,000 bid last month to save the public library from closure.

“This is certainly a first, as far as I know,” said County Librarian John M. Adams, who is revamping library services countywide to cope with a $5-million budget cut. “We think it was a real win-win situation. Clearly, we have had to make as many reductions as we can.”

The Laguna Hills Leisure World also operates a library, but it was started by the retirement community.

The governing board of the Seal Beach Leisure World paid $35,000 to the city for purchase of the library’s books. The city was given ownership of the books in return for relinquishing its priority option to purchase the library, which could have prevented the auction of the property.

Operating hours at the Seal Beach Leisure World library have been reduced to two days a week by the county until the property closes escrow, which is expected by the end of July. The 4,000-square-foot library, on three-quarters of an acre of land, is crucial to the retirement community’s 8,700 residents, according to Golden Rain Foundation President Howard McCurdy.

“We plan to keep it open five days a week,” McCurdy said. “Over half of our residents use this library. It’s probably more used than any other function we have here.”

The branch’s three employees will be reassigned to other county libraries after the close of escrow, according to Adams.