SUNNYVALE — Despite concerns that a new library will force a closed — but cherished — community pool to be demolished, plans are moving ahead for the library to be built in the northern part of the city.
The City Council recently approved a $23 million construction contract with Elk Grove-based Bobo Construction to build a new combined library and learning center in Lakewood Park, located west of Lawrence Expressway. Its an effort that has taken 10 years since the site was first selected. Construction for the 22,000-square-foot building — which will include traditional library elements and community spaces — is scheduled to begin this summer and finish in late 2025.
To build the project, the city will have to fill the park’s closed pool, a once-popular destination for affordable swim lessons and summertime activities in the Lakewood community that opened in the 1970s. The pool was shuttered by the city in 2012. Low pool usage, coupled with the costs to update, operate and maintain the facilities prompted the decision, said city spokesperson Jennifer Garnett.
When the pool first closed, the city and Sunnyvale School District — which owns the land — discussed how to meet the Lakewood community’s needs with alternative facilities and amenities, including adding a new branch library. In 2020, the city signed an agreement with the Sunnyvale and Fremont Union High School District to help fund the project.
The Sunnyvale Public Library is the city’s only library, and located roughly 11 to 15 minutes by car from the Lakewood neighborhood. Adding a library in the area, which the city identifies as a historically underserved and low-income community, would help residents access educational spaces and reading areas.
Garrett Kuramoto, superintendent of libraries for the city, said the number of North Sunnyvale library card-users has been increasing since 2020, signaling a need for more accessible library and community spaces.
“We really see this as a hub of community engagement, and place where people can gather,” he said. “These things have always been important, but even more so since the pandemic.”
But Lakewood resident Imelda Misch believes the city should have revived the pool following its closure, instead of investing in a multi-million library center. Misch’s children used to take swim lessons there during the hot summer days. Lessons and entry fees were inexpensive back then, making the pool an inclusive and accessible hangout spot for the neighborhood kids.
“It was a nice experience,” Misch said. “Every June, there was no place to go at Lakewood. That was the only place to go.”
While residents might enjoy having a public library, Misch said, nearby elementary schools already have their own libraries, with books, Wi-Fi and computers for them to use. She doesn’t plan on going often to the branch once it is finished, preferring instead to read on her Kindle.
Likewise, resident Tony Bugna said refilling the pool would have encouraged physical activities in Lakewood. He would have preferred for the library to be built upon an existing small community center that is also located in the park, so residents could have both.
“I always felt like, why not have a library and keep the pool?” Bugna said.
Even so, there are those excited about the benefits the library can bring.
Lakewood resident Kim Gully said a library close to Lakewood would be a great resource for families. Gully and her 5-year-old son often go to the Sunnyvale Public Library or the Mission Branch Library — which is part of the Santa Clara City Library system. “It would be really nice to not drive 15 minutes plus to visit a library,” she said.
Gully believes kids, especially, will enjoy having a reading and playing space right next door to each other.
“Books are meant to be enjoyed indoors and outdoors,” she said. “If you got the library, it is going to pull more families in that area.”