ORANGE : City Agrees to Buy Bank Building for New Library
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City officials have tentatively agreed to buy the Bank of America building on East Chapman Avenue for $850,000 and to help fund a new main library on the site.
City Council members had decided last winter to spend at least $1 million to renovate the 35-year-old Orange Central Library on Center Street at Chapman.
They were prepared to spend as much as $2.6 million, but then the Bank of America building next to the library became available in July. Officials said the closure presented a perfect site for a new library, which will cost about $20 million.
While some argued that Central Library still needs the full-scale renovation because the new library is years from becoming a reality, City Council members decided Tuesday to cap that budget at $1.5 million.
The remaining $1.1 million set aside will likely go to the fledgling foundation for the new library.
“If we’re going to ask individuals and other entities to show their concern, the city has to show a willingness to invest in the same dream,” Councilman Mark Murphy said.
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