Mark R. Madler
MEDIA DISTRICT WEST -- Now that plans to convert the old Buena Vista
Branch library into a child care facility have been approved, city
officials can start seeking bids to start construction.
The Planning Board in January approved the project, which will
provide child care for toddlers and preschoolers and a parent
resource center to provide information on city services. The center
will also offer classes in parenting, child development, financial
planning and other topics.
The city's Redevelopment Agency will seek bids for the estimated
$1.96-million renovation project in early March and ask the City
Council to consider the bids later that month, said Ruth
Davidson-Guerra, assistant community development director.
The estimated cost is based on the condition of the building and
what it would take for the renovation work, although bids may come in
under or over that amount, said Maribel Leyland, a senior
redevelopment project manager.
The 7,900-square-foot facility will accommodate up to 88 children.
That will help "chip away" at the unmet need for structured child
care in the city, Davidson-Guerra said.
The Redevelopment Agency has hosted community meetings to get
input on what should be done with the building at 401 N. Buena Vista St. It was vacated in 2002 after the new branch library opened across
the street at Buena Vista and Verdugo Avenue.
"[The Redevelopment Agency] did some general research on child
care and found it to be a number one goal," Burbank senior planner
Joy Forbes said. "At the community meetings, they found it was a
community interest."
Agency officials are still working out how the facility will be
operated, but city officials most likely will contract the services
out to a child care center, much the same way the Burbank Housing
Corp. handles its business, Davidson-Guerra said.
The Burbank Housing Corp. opened a 92-space child care facility
last February. The facility is operated by Knowledge Learning Corp.
The council was split 3-2 in its July 2003 vote to approve the
facility. Councilwoman Stacey Murphy and Councilman Jef Vander Borght
opposed the proposal.
It's not the city's mission to provide child care when the city
faces other needs, Murphy said.
"Our mission is to provide city services, and there is park space
we need to develop," Murphy said. "There are other things to do for
the greater good of the city."
Murphy wanted to see the former library turned into a community
center to be used by service clubs and scout groups, Murphy said.
