State Library Grant Awards, Ramona Must Wait For Next Round

Friends of Ramona Library fundraising effort committee include back row left to right: Quimby Davide, Pat Heath, Joy Childers, Betty LeMenager, Avonelle Box. Front row left to right: Elyse Kuhn and Joan Gansert. PHOTO BY DARREL KINNEY

By Chuck LeMenager

Results of the last round of awards for State Proposition 14 library grants were announced last week, but hopes for a new Ramona library were put back on the shelf for at least two more years.

Of 72 communities vying for the remaining $77 million in the fund, only 12 came up with awards, and Ramona was not one of the favored few.

The total requested by the 72 applicants was $586 million, nearly eight times the amount available. Major winners were predominantly proposals for urban projects in the San Francisco Bay region.

Prop. 14 was passed in 2000 to provide $350 million for library projects statewide. This latest round of awards tapped out the fund balance.

Julian won a grant on a previous round and already has dedicated its new facility.

Communities that missed out on Prop. 14 money and are seeking state assistance must wait for a new bond issue to be approved by the voters. That new bond proposition will appear on the March 2006 ballot. Sponsored by state Senator Dede Alpert of San Diego, passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Schwarzenegger, the proposition will provide an additional $600 million to the State Office of Library Construction.

“While this latest news was very disappointing to those who worked so hard for Ramona’s new library, it doesn’t by any means spell defeat for our project, just delay,” said Elyse Kuhn, president of the Friends of Ramona Library, the group leading the drive for better facilities.

“Our project application has been accepted by the state for consideration, which was a very important step. We have every reason to believe we’ll be successful on the next round,” Kuhn added.

Commenting on this latest development, County Supervisor Dianne Jacob said, “It’s not a question of if, but when Ramona gets their new library. I intend to do all in my power to see that it happens.”

With Jacob’s leadership, San Diego County government has shown strong support for Ramona. The county has acquired a prime $1.4 million site on the west side of the 1300 block of Main Street and set it aside for the facility. In addition to land, the county has invested considerable resources in design and administrative help.

“Citizens of Ramona have shown wonderful grassroots support,” said Joan Gansert, chairwoman of the Friends’ fund-raising effort. “The fact that our community raised the needed 35 percent to build an $86 million library must truly be a record for private giving in our community, perhaps the strongest since Augustus and Martha Barnett donated Ramona’s first library and town hall in 1893.”

Several other California communities, such as Escondido, who staked big money and hopes on their chances for state support, have indicated they might scrap their plans for a new library or look for other alternatives.

“Ramona and the county of San Diego, on the other hand, are showing determination to tough it out. The need for this new library is too great to give up now,” Kuhn said.

“The private money we raised is drawing interest. Those re-sources, combined with our excellent building site, will be ready to serve as Ramona’s match-ing fund requirement for the next round of awards in two years.”