Buena Park Library Approves Nearly $7 Million Renovation

## Buena Park Library Board Approves $6.95 Million Renovation of Historic Library

### **Major modernization will preserve the William L. Pereira-designed library while creating updated spaces for future generations**

**BUENA PARK, Calif. — September 3, 2026** — A major renovation of one of Buena Park’s most recognizable civic institutions is moving forward after the Buena Park Library District Board of Trustees voted to award a $6.95 million construction contract for the renovation of the Buena Park Library.

At its September 1 meeting, the five-member Board of Library Trustees voted **4-0, with one abstention**, to approve the construction contract with Monet Construction, Inc. The company submitted the lowest of 11 bids received for the project at **$6,953,432**.

The Board also authorized a **$1,043,015 construction contingency** for unforeseen conditions and necessary changes during construction, bringing the potential construction authorization to approximately **$7.996 million**. According to the District’s agenda report, the contingency was already incorporated into the project’s approved overall budget rather than representing a new appropriation.

The decision marks a major milestone for a renovation project that has been in development since 2023 and seeks to modernize the aging facility while respecting a building with significant architectural and community history.

“This is about much more than renovating a building,” said **Buena Park Library Director Helen Medina**. “For generations, families have come through these doors to discover books, learn new skills, attend programs and connect with their neighbors. This project gives us an opportunity to protect that legacy while creating a library that can meet the needs of Buena Park for decades to come.”

The **Buena Park Library** at dusk.  A sign on the building indicates that the library is **temporarily closed due to building improvements**. The soft evening sky and warm sunset light give the setting a calm, quiet atmosphere.

## **A Modern Library Inside a Buena Park Landmark**

The renovation will touch nearly every aspect of the facility. Plans call for renovated public reading and collection areas, a new community programming space, upgraded technology and electrical infrastructure, improved staff and operational areas, new interior finishes and furnishings, accessibility improvements, elevator and plumbing modernization, roof maintenance and associated site and utility work.

The District has also described plans for refreshed spaces serving children, teens and adults and enhanced areas for programming and community engagement.

For Councilmember **Carlos Franco**, who spoke in support of the renovation at the Board meeting, investing in the library represents an investment in one of Buena Park’s few institutions that serves residents across generations and backgrounds.

“Our library is one of those special places where it doesn’t matter how old you are, where you come from or how much money you make — the doors are open to you,” Franco said. “I remember libraries as places where young people could explore a world much bigger than the one immediately around them. Now we have the responsibility to make sure the next generation of Buena Park kids has that same opportunity, in a facility that is safe, welcoming and prepared for the future.”

Franco also praised the effort to modernize the facility without erasing what makes it distinctive.

“There would be an easier way to approach an aging building: tear things out, make everything new and forget the history,” Franco added. “But Buena Park’s history matters. We can preserve the character of this incredible building while making sure it continues working for the people who use it. That’s the balance I think our community deserves.”

## **More Than a Century of Library Service**

The Buena Park Library’s story predates the incorporation of the City itself.

Library service in the community traces its roots to **1905**, when donated books were housed inside the Lily Creamery. In 1919, the Buena Park Women’s Club helped circulate petitions for an election that formally established the **Buena Park Library District**. A small library building followed in 1920 with a collection of just 283 volumes.

Unlike a municipal department of the City of Buena Park, the Library District is an **independent special district** organized under California’s Education Code. It is governed by its own five-member elected Board of Library Trustees.

As Buena Park grew, so did its library. The present facility at **7150 La Palma Avenue** was dedicated in 1969, coinciding with the Library District’s 50th anniversary.

And the building itself carries an architectural pedigree that makes the renovation particularly noteworthy.

## **Preserving a William L. Pereira Design**

The current Buena Park Library was designed by **William L. Pereira & Associates**, the celebrated architectural firm behind some of California’s most recognizable Modernist landmarks.

Pereira became particularly influential in the development of postwar Orange County and is internationally known for projects including San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid and UC San Diego’s Geisel Library. The Buena Park Library District’s historical assessment identifies William L. Pereira & Associates as the architects of the Buena Park facility, with Jones and Peterson serving as landscape architects and W.J. Shirley Jr. and Co. as general contractor.

The library therefore represents more than an aging public building. It is a surviving piece of Southern California’s mid-century civic architecture and a physical reminder of Buena Park’s rapid growth during that era.

That history became an important consideration as the District began planning the renovation.

## **From Flooding to a Broader Reinvestment**

The immediate need for improvements became particularly apparent in **September 2023**, when flooding in the library basement resulted in the loss of its longtime community room. Subsequent water intrusion raised concerns about groundwater and the property’s high water table; the District noted that the building had also experienced flooding after heavy rainfall in 1998.

Rather than addressing only the immediate damage, the District began evaluating the library’s broader infrastructure and long-term needs.

The Board expanded the project’s scope in March 2025, and the resulting plan evolved into a comprehensive modernization intended to improve accessibility, technology, public spaces and the overall experience for patrons.

Competitive bids were received on August 19, 2026. Eleven contractors submitted proposals, ranging from Monet Construction’s winning **$6.95 million** bid to a high bid of approximately **$9.14 million**. District staff subsequently reviewed the submissions and determined Monet to be the lowest responsible and responsive bidder.

The renovation represents an unusual opportunity: taking a building created during one of the defining periods of Southern California architecture and preparing it for another generation of public service.

For a library system that began with donated books inside a creamery more than 120 years ago, the project is another chapter in a long-running Buena Park story — adapting to a changing community while preserving the idea that started it all: knowledge and opportunity should be available to everyone.

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