The Ygnacio Valley Library is getting a “landscape makeover” during a six-month improvement project funded entirely by private donations and made possible by grants from the William A. Kerr Foundation and the Walnut Creek Library Foundation. The busy city library, also known as the Thurman G. Casey Library, makes its “makeover début” in Fall 2014, coinciding with Walnut Creek’s Centennial celebration.
Thank you to the volunteers from Mormon Helping Hands!
The Library Foundation is spearheading the project to improve the landscaping surrounding the exterior of the library, located at 2661Oak Grove Rd., Walnut Creek, CA, 94598. Noted landscape architect Michael D. Fotheringham volunteered his time to draw up the landscape plans, which call for removing existing nuisance foliage and outdated irrigation infrastructure, creating two paved outdoor patio spaces, relocating existing bicycle racks, planting more attractive, drought-resistant plants, and installing a water-efficient irrigation system.
More than fifty generous volunteers from Mormon Helping Hands, under the auspices of the local arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, will be providing much of the labor. They are pulling out their gardening and landscaping tools and getting ready to get their hands and knees dirty, along with licensed contractor Cliff Beck, who will be providing and operating earthmoving equipment, and Republic Services, who is donating dumpsters and hauling services. Contra Costa County is partnering with the Library Foundation to assure that all worked is performed safely and efficiently.
The $32,500 Landscape Improvement Project, expected to take place in three phases, coincides with the ten-year anniversary of the interior renovations of the Ygnacio Valley Library, which was funded in part by the Walnut Creek Library Foundation and was a first in public/private partnerships for a Contra Costa County Library. The interior renovations dramatically updated the popular library. Located on the eastern edge of Walnut Creek in the Northgate area, the Ygnacio Valley Library enjoys more than 95,000 visits annually and circulates more than 300,000 items.
Volunteer coordinator Gene Price, Rick Chapman, Mayor Pro-Tem Bob Simmons, Landscape Architect Mike Fotheringham, and WCLF Board Member Bob Brittain