Half Moon Bay library project won’t get state funding

The third and final round of the state’s libary funding process ended without granting money for Half Moon Bay’s proposed new library.

The Office of Library Construction (OLC) is a division of the California State Library that was created to administer Proposition 14, the Library Bond Act of 2000.  OLC offered state grants for 65% of the building costs to cities, counties and library districts.

The city entered the process rather late, missing the first of the three rounds. While its proposal was rated "very good" in the second round and "outstanding" in the third, the odds of getting funding decreased as the the number of proposals increased and the amount of money dwindled. By round three, there were 72 proposals seeking $586 million, with only $80 left to be distributed. The 20 "outstanding" applications alone totaled $212 million.

One factor that may have hurt the city’s proposal is that two projects (San Mateo and Redwood Shores) had already been funded in San Mateo county.

The library proposal could be dusted off in a couple of years. The governor has signed a bill to put another, $300 million, library bond on the March 2006 ballot. Projects from this cycle would have priority in the next one.