The newly constructed Aptos branch of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries, originally scheduled to open this fall, has delayed that opening to February. The non-profit Friends of the Aptos Library announced this week that the new target date for the library’s opening will be sometime in mid-February.
The reason given for the delay has to do with a noise-reduction sound-baffling system to be set up in the children’s area of the new library. The system was originally cut from the project’s budget, but was later restored. The system will not arrive for installation until late December.
Tricia Wynne of theFriends of the Aptos Library said that after the installation of the sound baffling system, the library will need about six weeks to move materials and computer systems into the new building. The organization is still planning a community grand-opening reception and open house around the new opening date.
The $14 millionAptos branch is the latest new library opening as part of the Measure S funding, passed by a county bond measure in 2016 to revitalize the county’s 10-branch library system. The centerpiece of the library system, the downtown Santa Cruz Main Branch will also be rebuilt on the Cedar Street parking lot that now hosts the downtown Farmer’s Market. Construction on that project is expected to begin in late 2024 with a targeted opening in 2027.
The new branch will be about 12,400 square feet and will feature a dedicated teen room, a community meeting room, group study rooms, an outdoor reading room, and a partnership with theAptos History Museum, which will post displays of local historical interest at the new library.
“It’s going to be worth the wait,” said Wynne. “It is going to be spectacular. It’s going to be very similar to [the new Capitola library, which opened in 2022], in terms of being big and open with lots of windows and lots of natural light.”