L.A. Architects to Design New Library

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to pay Fields & Devereaux Architects of Los Angeles nearly $38,000 to design a new Oak Park library and develop a plan to build the facility in three phases.

Under a contract approved unanimously by the supervisors, architects will draw up designs for a 15,000-square-foot public library at Oak Park High School, which will replace an existing facility on the campus.

Although county leaders approved the new library two years ago, county library officials now say that money shortages will probably force construction to move forward in phases. As envisioned, the project would consist of a 6,600-square-foot first phase, and separate phases of 3,400 square feet and 5,000 square feet as money becomes available.

To help speed construction, officials say they hope to tap into a recently approved bond measure that sets aside $25 million for cooperative ventures between public libraries and schools. The architecture firm is scheduled to return to the Board of Supervisors with designs and cost estimates in about two months.