Residents weigh in on library use
Laura Sturza
Lively discussion about the future of the old Buena Vista library
filled the new library’s community room, when more than 100 people
considered uses for the old building, including a child-care center,
an art or puppet museum, or single-family homes.
“Some of [the talk] was very passionate, especially at the
child-care area,” City Planner Joy Forbes said of discussions among
those who attended Saturday’s meeting. “Some were adamantly opposed;
they didn’t think that a city asset should necessarily go to benefit
only a certain number of children.”
Burbank resident Robin Wright, who could not find what she
considered to be high-quality child care for her daughter, supports
turning the library into a child care center.
“I looked at about 10 [centers],” Wright said. “The ones I loved
had a waiting list. I ended up having to take my child into Glendale
for child care.”
The cost of remodeling the library to turn it into a child- care
center for as many as 100 children is estimated to be about $1 to
$1.4 million, Redevelopment Project Manager Maribel Frausto said.
“At no time during the meeting did we reach consensus, but that
was never the intent,” Frausto said. “It was to get feedback on likes
and dislikes and also any other ideas for the site.”
Other mixed-use ideas proposed included turning the building into
a museum or a theater, or using it as a community meeting space. City
staff is expected to present a report on the meeting to the City
Council, which will make the final decision on the use of the
property at a council meeting in July or August.