By Emilie St. John
Contributing Writer
INGLEWOOD — Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor announced during Library Week that the Inglewood Main Library has received a $2.7 million grant to improve the facility.
According to McKinnor, the city received the funds from the $489 million Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement grants from the state library system.
McKinnor represents the 61st Assembly District that includes several libraries that received grants. The largest grant in her district went to Inglewood. The funds were made available from the State Budget Act of 2021 under Senate Bill 129.
“Our libraries are among the most important public resources available to communities across California,” McKinnor said.
Under the terms of SB 129, the city is required to match funds under the project.
The Inglewood City Council accepted the grant award during the May 2 council meeting.
District 1 Councilwoman Gloria Gray asked for more specifics on the overall renovation of the Inglewood Main Library, which includes seismic retrofitting.
“This is a very big project and I would like to ask about the total estimated budget, and where will the remaining funds come from to complete the project, what is the timeline for completion and how much will be used from the [Clippers] $100 million Community Benefit [Agreement] funds to pay for the renovations?” Gray asked.
Mayor James T. Butts Jr. took time to explain as he was directly involved in the negotiations of benefits package with Murphy’s Bowl LLC.
“The total project is $40 million with $6 million coming from the CBA and a Building Forward Grant of $2.7 million with the remainder being covered with bond funds totaling $31 million,” Butts said. “There’s three phases of construction: pre-design which will take six months and start in June, pre-construction starts in January 2024 and is expected to 15 fifteen months and the construction period starts April 2025 and will last 14 months.”
The oibrary opened in 1974 and at the time was the most modern library in Los Angeles County. With time, it needs renovation to the interior but also the cataloging systems will be updated and automated.
“It will again be a premier library for our children, residents and seniors,” Butts said.
Emilie St. John is a freelance journalist covering the areas of Carson, Compton, Inglewood and Willowbrook. Send tips to her at emiliesaintjohn@gmail.com.
