The Riverside City Council last week approved a $17.7 million construction contract with Horizons Construction Company out of Orange, California for the SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library project.
The price includes demolition, hazardous material abatement, new construction and a 10% contingency.
“We’ve been working on the new Duran Eastside library project since 2017 when funds were originally identified as part of Measure Z,” Erin Christmas, library director, said at the August 5 meeting. “In 2019, following extensive community feedback, we selected 2060 University Ave., or Bobby Bonds Park, as the new location for the proposed library.”
At that time, the city allocated $100,000 for architectural design services. In 2023, the council approved the architectural design and moved forward to the schematic design.
“As we have moved through the design process, we have worked with the Board of Library Trustees extensively, as well as did a community poll on some furniture selections to ensure that the community had a say in what the space would look like,” Christmas said.
Because the new library will be built at the current site of Bobby Bonds Park, which was renovated using a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, the city will have to purchase replacement land and convert it to parkland in order to stay in compliance with the grant, Christmas said.
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“The parks team, under the direction of [Parks] Director Pamela Galera, is in the process of identifying the best location in the city for this replacement,” Christmas said. “However, $500,000 from this project budget will go to parks to assist in the process of purchasing and potentially developing usable park space to ensure compliance with the grant.”
The estimated total budget for the library project is about $21.6 million, Christmas said. The majority of that will be paid for by $14.5 million in state grants, with the city covering the remainder through Measure Z and the general fund.
The groundbreaking for the project is set for next month with the ribbon cutting expected in the second quarter of 2027.
“The Eastside community is excited for this,” Councilmember Philip Falcone, who represents the neighborhood, said. “And I know with the team like Pamela, Erin and [General Services Director] Lee [Withers], this is the dream team to get this thing across the finish line.”
In other council action: The Riverside City Council unanimously approved an agreement with the state to remove unpermitted encampments in state rights of way, including highway and freeway areas. As part of the agreement, the state will reimburse the city up to $400,000.
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