Grand opening delayed for new library in Costa Mesa’s Lions Park

The grand opening of Costa Mesa’s new library in Lions Park has been postponed from April 26 to May 24 due to “a minor construction issue,” a city official said.

Though city spokesman Tony Dodero didn’t give additional details of the reason for the delay, he said Thursday that “the good news is that the city is not incurring any extra costs.”

“We are looking forward to opening a beautiful new library in the city on May 24,” he added.

Friends of the Costa Mesa Libraries — a community group that provides supplies and funding for local OC Public Libraries branches — attributed the delay to a defective coupling on a water fountain that “caused 2,700 gallons of water to go into the first floor.” That resulted in “flooring and electrical damage,” the group said in a Facebook post Tuesday.

Dodero declined to comment about the post.

The envelope of the two-story, 23,355-square-foot library — a striking white facade lined with sweeping glass panels — has taken shape in the park.

Early Thursday afternoon, workers were busily laboring around the site, including one using a cherry picker.

The new facility will replace the former Donald Dungan Library, also in Lions Park. That 8,740-square-foot branch closed in January and will be redeveloped as a community center to replace the former Neighborhood Community Center that the city demolished in 2017.

The community center conversion and new library are part of a $36.5-million renovation of Lions Park. The park, at 570 W. 18th St., also is home to the Downtown Recreation Center, Luke Davis Field and the Costa Mesa Historical Society.

For more information about the city’s plans for Lions Park, visit lionsparkprojects.com.