Community members from Davis, ranging from elementary school students to elected officials, gathered on Friday morning to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Walnut Park Library in south Davis.

The 11 a.m. ceremony was the culmination of over two decades of community organizing, grant applications, research to determine the best way to approach the literary and social needs of the Davis Community, proposals from librarians and library supporters, and applying for state and federal funds to make the South Davis library a reality.

This long-anticipated event celebrates the start of construction on a new 12,857-square-foot library at the site located at 2700 Lillard Drive, and represents a $22.18 million investment in the community, with funding support from city, county, state and federal partners.

Speakers included:

Vice-Chair of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors Sheila Allen

Yolo County Supervisor Lucas Frerichs

Retired Supervisor Jim Provenza

Congressman Mike Thompson

Davis City Council Member Josh Chapman

Deputy State Librarian Rebecca Wendt

“This is so important and significant for our community and for Yolo County,” said Yolo County Public Information Officer Laura Galindo. “This has been long in the making, yeah. And I’m glad that we have so much exposure and so many people come out here to help us along the way.”

In 2001, a countywide Library Facility Plan identified the need for a south Davis library that would focus on serving underserved youth and recreational readers of all ages. In 2014, a Yolo County Strategic Space Utilization Study found that the Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library had reached its capacity.

In 2022, Yolo County secured an $8.7 million grant from the California State Library, and in 2023, the city of Davis pledged $1.5 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act and Developer Impact Fees in support of the project. Additionally, since the park’s inception, the city of Davis has set aside the land donation within Walnut Park for the purpose of a library.

With all construction funds secured, on June 25, 2024, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to place Measure T, a modest parcel tax to fund library operations, on the upcoming Nov. 5 General Election ballot.

A group of citizens formed the Yes on Measure T Committee last year, which was the campaign to finance services for both the new South Davis Library and the existing Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library in north Davis. Measure T was approved by an overwhelming majority of voters this past November, with nearly 75% of Davis voters voting in favor of the parcel tax.

The 12,000-square-foot Walnut Park Library will offer literacy and educational resources, internet access and connectivity, support for individuals in expanding their community engagement, opportunities to utilize community room spaces, and more.

“I am thrilled to see years of dedicated advocacy and hard work by community members, partners, and the Yolo County Library team come to life,” said Diana Lopez, Yolo County Librarian. “This groundbreaking is a dream realized for countless individuals and families, as well as for the Yolo County Library. It marks the beginning of a brighter future, where the Walnut Park Library will provide much-needed, accessible resources for all.”

Supervisor Provenza’s 16 years on the Board of Supervisors were spent working toward breaking ground on the south Davis library. He said the funds to build the library came from capital funds that the county replenishes over time.

“When it was decided that this library was the next project that would go forward, the money was allocated, and we were up to over $20 million to build this — for the solar panels, the parking lots, the whole thing,” Provenza said.

Provenza also commended the community for supporting Yolo County’s libraries, especially as the federal government has made cuts to federal funding to public library systems. The former supervisor said that at a time when libraries and access to information are threatened, it’s important to stand up for it, and Davis is doing just that.

“Libraries are an important part of our democracy … if you want to find actual facts, go to the library,” Provenza said. “The fact that we here in Davis, in this time, are able to open a brand new library is testament to the fact that there are a lot of people that really care about our country and about our country’s values.”

Congressman Thompson echoed the same sentiment, calling libraries “incredibly special.”

“They’re important to a Freedom of Information, access to information, and it just really makes a community,” he said. “[It’s] a beautiful day and a happy day when a community cares enough about the entire community that they’re willing to go to the max to build a library. That is a very special community.”