Ideas from Public Sought for Design of Library

To generate community input on the design of the proposed Hansen Dam Library and Environmental Awareness Center, City Councilman Richard Alarcon has called a public meeting at 7 tonight at the Tavern on the Green restaurant, 10400 Glenoaks Blvd., Pacoima.

About $6 million in city and federal funds has been secured by Alarcon for the 25,000-square-foot facility. The proposed building will sit on a 1 1/2-acre site at the intersection of Osborne Street and Foothill Boulevard, which spans Pacoima and Lake View Terrace.

The center is expected to include a full-service branch library--a first for the area--and a 2,000-square-foot wing devoted to environmental information. City officials plan to build a hands-on environmental awareness and cultural history museum, an exhibition hall and an auditorium next to the library.

Alarcon said he hopes the center will be completed within three years.

Funding for the project includes federal Community Block Grant funds, $2.5 million in city Proposition K funds generated by a special parks tax and $1 million from the Lake View Terrace Community Amenities Trust Fund, which was allocated to the city to compensate for its proximity to the now-closed Lopez Canyon Landfill.