Felton Library Now Open!

By Bruce McPherson, Fifth District Supervisor

About 2,000 people participated in the Feb. 22 celebration of the new Felton Branch Library, which is the first major project to be completed with Measure S funds approved by voters in 2016.

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Assemblymember Mark Stone joined the Santa Cruz Public Libraries staff and Felton Library Friends to cut the ribbon for the branch, located at 6121 Gushee St.

The beautiful building designed by Teall Messer and built by Thompson Builders, features a number of cozy places to read, study and gather, as well as wonderful outside space that connects to the new Felton Discovery Park, which will have an official opening May 2.

I want to repeat a comment made during the library dedication by Michele Mosher, treasurer for Felton Library Friends: “Libraries build communities, and communities build libraries.”

Those words were never truer than with the Felton community, who worked tirelessly to keep the branch open and rally for a new library on land donated by the Verutti Family.

There are more library improvements ahead for District 5. As we opened the Felton branch, the library system temporarily closed the Boulder Creek branch for renovations.

While primarily funded by Measure S, the Boulder Creek project also benefited from a $100,000 matching grant from Monterey Peninsula Foundation, which was aided by a $30,000 contribution recommended by my office from the County of Santa Cruz, as well as private donations.

The Scotts Valley branch also will see improvements later this year, mostly structural in nature, including roof work. While the branch moved several years ago and featured all new interiors, it is now time to work on infrastructure.

Speaking of infrastructure, my office often receives questions about the status of repairs on storm-damaged roads. During the Feb. 25 Board of Supervisors meeting, we will approve the final cost of nearly $730,000 for repairing Mount Charlie Road, which was completed by Graniterock Construction.

The road was damaged in four areas by the 2017 storms, requiring a new retaining wall, reconstructed roadway and drainage and erosion improvements. Other roads in the San Lorenzo Valley area are also slated for construction this year.

Transportation and housing continue to be challenging topics, ones that from time to time require visits with regional and state leaders. In late January, I traveled to Paso Robles to participate in the Central Coast Housing Working Group, whose task it is to help allocate approximately $8 million in state funding to help regional governments reach their housing goals.

Then, in February, I made two trips to Sacramento with the Regional Transportation Commission and Monterey Bay Community Power, whose boards I chair, to meet with lawmakers.

Relative to transportation, we championed the importance of safety projects, such as those planned for Highway 9, and for community-choice energy we advocated for more resiliency with respect to wildfire mitigation and power shutoffs.

Lastly, the California Association of Counties, for which I am Santa Cruz County’s representative, is focused on a number of initiatives, including improving the state recycling system and addressing the needs of our seniors.

I am pleased that Grey Bears was able to restart California Redemption Value  services at the Ben Lomond Transfer Station in early February, but we continue to push through CSAC for a statewide legislative fix to the collapse in the global recycling market.

CSAC is also working on California’s Master Plan for Aging, a blueprint for how to prepare for the growing population of seniors in California that must be developed by October 2020.

•••

Please contact me at 831-454-2200 or bruce.mcpherson@santacruzcounty.us with any questions or suggestions.

www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/Government/BoardofSupervisors/District5.aspx