Old Malibu Sheriff’s Station Slated for Use as Interim Public Library Quarters

• During Year or So that Branch Is Closed for Remodeling

BY BILL KOENEKER

Malibu and Los Angeles County officials announced this week at a Malibu City Council meeting they have a tentative plan to relocate the closing Malibu Library to the lobby of the old sheriff’s station.
The temporary closure of the library is scheduled to begin June 1 for remodeling, and municipal and county officials were in a tailspin about how to provide interim service for the one-year closure.
The council was scheduled to talk about what options were available when the announcement was made by Reva Feldman, who is the assistant city manager and administrative services director for the city.
“The temporary library site is the old sheriff’s station lobby. There is 2000 to 2500 square feet,” she said, adding the set up costs are estimated at $25,000 for the small interim library.
County officials explained that they want to make sure that everything is safe and clean and will conduct another inspection of the premises.
“It is a huge solution to our problem,” said Mayor Sharon Barovsky.
“It was on the demolition list,” said Susan Nissman, who is a field deputy and spokesperson for county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky’s office. “An abatement was done because of the computer equipment.”
Nissman explained the county is planning on another spore test for mold and another hazard inspection before the site can be put in to use.
She said the county has spoken with Santa Monica College officials, since they plan on leasing the site. “They were amenable to [the interim library],” she said.
Nissman went on to say the interim use of the building in no way changes the tentative plans for SMC and the sheriff’s department to utilize the site for a future college satellite campus and about 5000 square feet for law enforcement operations, including a substation and an emergency operations center that has strong community support.
Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich, who has spearheaded library improvements, thanked county officials for use of the temporary facility and expressed gratitude for interim library services, which would still be able to offer Internet connections for those who need them.
City Manager Jim Thorsen said the annual costs for running the interim operation should not be any more, but might be less than the current expenditure of $300,000.
Before the county’s solution was aired, the council was prepared to talk about a half-dozen options presented by the city staff.
Those included no interim services, locating a bookmobile on the county-owned parking lot adjacent to the library or attempting to use city owned buildings.
Council members found out that if they tried to use the city-owned building at the corner of Webb Way and Pacific Coast Highway, the costs might balloon to $600,000, and there might be a potential conflict with a deed restriction that prohibits municipal use of the building that it owns.
That was questioned by Ryan Embree, who asked the city attorney what that deed restriction entailed, but she declined to answer further, saying it was moot at this point.
All of the other choices were just as expensive, including the Michael Landon Center, where zoning does not allow library use; short term rental of commercial space which could cost $600,000; or use of a modular building located on county property, which could cost $700,000 and would not be available for at least six months.