Palm Desert council opts to pursue long-term library at College of the Desert

The Palm Desert City Council voted 4-1 Thursday to have staff pursue a long-term arrangement to keep the city library at College of the Desert rather than build a new one on the former Parkview Office Building site.

The direction is preliminary, and no contract award or funding was requested. Staff will assess the building, negotiate terms with the college and return to the council for formal action, a process Senior Project Manager Ryan Lamb said would likely take a few months. Councilmember Jan Harnik cast the dissenting vote.

The city leases about 21,000 square feet in the college’s library building under a five-year lease that expires June 30, 2029. According to a city staff report, the college had long said it intended to use the entire building after the lease ends. The college became willing to consider alternatives after City Manager Chris Escobedo reopened talks this fall.

Lamb said a new library is estimated at $45 million. Renovating the city’s current space and replacing the building’s aging heating and cooling system is estimated at $24 million, not counting lease or temporary library costs. Lamb said the college is willing to split the $7 million HVAC cost evenly, which would lower the figure to $20.5 million. He said all numbers are preliminary until building assessments are done.

The approved project budget is $30 million. Staff said $37.5 million is available after $7.5 million in reprioritized capital funds, with up to $12.5 million more potentially available.

Mayor Evan Trubee said choosing a new building would commit the city to whatever guaranteed maximum price the builder returns, a figure not yet known. With a renovation, he said, the council could control the pace and scope of spending. A city finance official agreed that the council has that discretion on funding.

Councilmember Karina Moreno said staying at the college would keep the Parkview site available for other uses.

“If we build that building, we won’t get a chance to come back and say we should have put something else there,” she said.

Harnik said no option shields the city from cost uncertainty and that the question is which offers the best long-term value, noting the city would never own the college’s land.

Lamb cautioned that delaying a decision on the new building would add about $300,000 a month to its cost. He also said the selected builder, Barnhart-Reese, had agreed to hold its proposed fee until November.

The Library Advisory Committee met earlier Thursday. Lamb said five of its seven members recommended a new building and two recommended a long-term solution with the college.

Work at the college would have to go through the Division of State Architect because the land is state property. Escobedo said lease discussions have covered a term of at least 50 years with options to extend.