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Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District reads to children during the grand opening celebration of the Atherton Library on June 4, 2022. Courtesy San Mateo County Libraries.
Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District reads to children during the grand opening celebration of the Atherton Library on June 4, 2022. Courtesy San Mateo County Libraries.

Atherton Mayor Rick DeGolia counted down from 10 before kids ran through a red “Welcome” banner held in front of the doors of the new $19.1 million Atherton Library to mark its opening on June 4.

The day included live music, food, a book signing and tours of the 10,000-square-foot library at 80 Fair Oaks Lane. Menlo Park Fire Protection District Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen led one of the story times.

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    SLIDESHOW: Community members and families color in the Atherton Library’s children’s area during the space’s grand opening celebration on June 4, 2022. Courtesy San Mateo County Libraries.
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    SLIDESHOW: Assembled community members at the grand opening celebration of the Atherton Library on June 4, 2022. Courtesy San Mateo County Libraries.
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    SLIDESHOW: Library assistant Alan Zamora helps Ken Basegio use a 3D printer in the Maker Space in the Atherton Library on June 14, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.
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    SLIDESHOW: A staff member works in the Atherton Library on June 14, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.
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    SLIDESHOW: A private room in the Atherton Library on June 14, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.
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    SLIDESHOW: The exterior of the Atherton Library on June 14, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

“It was wonderful to observe kids picking up books and reading at tables and in nooks, several people using the laser printer and the four sewing machines in the makerspace and people enjoying the Willie Mays Room,” named after the longtime Atherton resident and San Francisco Giants player, said DeGolia in an email. “People didn’t just walk through and look, they actually stopped and used the library, which was wonderful.”

Construction on the library began over three years ago. The makerspace and digital lab have 3D printers, a laser cutter, GoPro camera kits and a deck, according to the town. There meeting rooms, including in the renovated Historic Town Hall, which is connected to the library.

French bakery Mademoiselle Colette plans to open a cafe in a 250-square-foot space in the library this fall.

The library is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday through Sunday.

Go here for a list of upcoming events at the new library.

Angela Swartz is The Almanac's editor. She joined The Almanac in 2018. She previously reported on youth and education, and the towns of Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside for The Almanac. Angela, who...

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5 Comments

  1. “$19 million for 10,000 sq. ft.? If those #’s are correct, the cost was ~ $1,900/sq.ft. And, it doesn’t have a gourmet kitchen with Wolf equipment and 5+ bathrooms & an entertainment center, a wine cellar & a pool/spa!

    Am I doing the math wrong or missing something or did Atherton “over spec & overpay”? Or is Atherton’s “Building Code” just too “tight”?

  2. Cybervoter:

    the problem is twofold. One, it is a commercial building and subject to more stringent codes than single family residential construction. Two, it is a public building built with public funds which means it has to be done at “prevailing wage”. Prevailing wage is based on what the local union trades get per hour PLUS their health care, pension, etc. Labor that non-union builders pay $35/hr would have to be paid more than double that. This is the law in California brought to you by our labor union bought and paid for legislature. It artificially inflates the cost of constructing anything that is built with public funds.

    For example non-union carpenters must be paid $86.63/hr. Here is a link to prevailing wage rates: https://www.dir.ca.gov/OPRL/2022-1/PWD/Determinations/Northern/NC-023-31-1.pdf So work you could have done for half that MUST be done at TWICE what could be paid in the open market.

  3. Menlo Voter:

    Very good points! However, these costs can still not explain $1,910/square foot! Again, the land was free, no exotic kitchens, multiple bathrooms, pool/spa, etc.! Assume that the cost per sq. ft. is “bloated” to ~ $750/sq.ft, that is still 2.5X the expected cost?

    There must be something we don’t know – & aren’t being told.

  4. Cybervoter:

    Commercial buildings are expensive to build. Also, the cost of materials has been skyrocketing over the course of the construction of this building. For example, I am currently building a 10,000 sf house. The framing lumber was priced in September, when April rolled around and we started framing the lumber package had gone up $100,000. Steel, which there is a lot of in this building made a huge jump in price between 2019 and 2020, then continued up from there. The initial jump doubled the cost of steel. And it has continued to escalate from there. And cost increases have affected materials across the board.

    Also, I’m sure this project had the usual change orders both for changes made and for things missing from the plans. Because it was competitively bid, bidders will only bid what’s in the plans even if they know there is missing information. If they put it in their bid and other bidders don’t, they won’t get the job.

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