Upgrades coming for aging Petaluma library

Petaluma Regional Library is prepping for its first makeover since moving to Fairgrounds Drive over 42 years ago, and the project’s participants want to hear what the public would like to see done with the rare influx of renovation dollars.

The library will be undergoing a “branch refresh” later this year to help modernize the space while also tending to much of the long-deferred maintenance work that’s expected to eat up much of the project’s nearly $1.4 million budget.

The job will likely include the installation of new carpeting and furniture upgrades throughout the building. Branch manager Joe Cochrane said some of the aging bookcases and outdated technology will also be replaced.

Before the renovations begin, though, the public has been invited to a community meeting on March 6 for Petaluma residents to have to opportunity to chime in and share what they would like to see at their local library as it gets remodeled.

“We want to get the public’s input for what they want, and maybe if there’s a push (for something), we can figure out the funding for that,” Cochrane said.

In 2016, 72 percent of Sonoma County voters approved Measure Y, a one-eighth cent sales tax to help buoy branch budgets so they could increase staff, enhance services and maintain facilities.

For Petaluma, those dollars were used to hire a part-time staffer dedicated to digitizing the library’s historical records, and the budget for the refresh is coming directly from Measure Y proceeds, said Ray Holley, Sonoma County Library spokesman.

The contracted architecture group, Berkeley-based Noll & Tam, has been tasked with marrying a limited budget to the branch’s pressing needs and the necessary overhauls to bring it into the 21st century.

Project manager Phan Dung, whose firm specializes in contemporizing public buildings across the Bay Area, said the goal is to create a more engaging and collaborative space for the community.

“You’re not just going in there to pick up a book,” she said. “You’re doing more and more exchanging of ideas.”

Even though the project is still in the pre-design phase, associate principal and interiors architect Trina Goodwin said the library wants to craft designated areas for children, teens and adults to have their varying needs met – whether it’s through expanded programs or carefully crafted zones for each demographic.

“We know this is one of their best shots … and we’d like to make it as nice as we can,” she said.

Youth engagement has been a growing focus for the Petaluma Regional Library in recent years, with numerous programs in place encouraging regular visits from local children.

Last month the library held LumaCon, its fifth annual comic book convention at Lucchesi Park, which has rapidly gained notoriety, offering cosplay, contests and workshops designed to enhance creativity and literacy.

“Libraries are going to die as institutions in the future if we don’t bring in the next generation,” Cochrane said.

Petaluma Regional Library operates under a joint powers agreement with the Sonoma County Library system that governs 14 locations countywide, and partners with local municipalities.

The county has leased the building from the city since it relocated from the downtown area in 1976. The city has been involved with Petaluma’s public library since 1878 - 20 years after the original Odd Fellows Library first opened its doors.

Under the joint agreement, branches usually receive a refresh every two years, Cochrane said, but increasingly scarce budgets have forced sites like Petaluma to hold off for years.

The most recent work was done in 2005 when the forum room was expanded and some of the restrooms received upgrades.

While the budget for this year’s refresh is modest, Cochrane is optimistic that rearranging the facility and elevating the interior will help cultivate the sense of new that they’ve been seeking.

“We were looking for - on top of the refresh - to do something to the effect of a quiet area for adults yet still maintaining a sense of community and engaging space where kids can be playing games, kids could have coding classes and maker’s events - other things that help kids be excited about the library,” he said.

(Contact News Editor Yousef Baig at yousef.baig@arguscourier.com or 776-8461, and on Twitter @YousefBaig.)