The Palm Springs Public Library invites the public to our Groundbreaking celebration for the Library’s Renovation project on Thursday, September 18th at 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. The media is also invited to cover this event, which will take place at the main Library location 300 S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262 on the south side and original entrance of the library.

Remarks will be shared by Mayor Ron deHarte and all four of the City Councilmembers in addition to the Chair of the Library Board of Trustees, Juanita Garner-Escobar; President of the Friends of the Palm Springs Library, Nanci Morrison; and President of the Palm Springs Public Library Foundation, Bill Wylie. The City Manager Scott Stiles will welcome everyone and act as the Master of Ceremonies and the Library Director, Jeannie Kays, will share closing remarks.

This renovation would not be possible without the Library Building Forward Infrastructure grant from the California State Library, awarding the Palm Springs Public Library $6.5 million dollars for maintenance and infrastructure updates to the aging building. These funds were accepted by City Council and matched with funds from Measure J. Group 4 Architecture + Research, Inc. from South San Francisco were hired to shepherd the design phase of the project, assisting the library through several rounds of community input meetings and an online survey in the Fall of 2023 and the Spring of 2024.  Taking all the feedback into consideration, Group 4 presented design plans to City Council and the Library Board of Trustees that allowed the library to reorganize the existing space inside the library to better meet the needs of today’s users and serving future generations with expanded resources, modern technology, and spaces designed for collaboration and inspiration. Final design plans were presented in July 2024 when steering committee and integrated design meetings and construction document creation began. Other City funds were committed to the project and the City began plans to issue approximately $40 million in lease revenue bonds to fund major renovations within the city; $30 million of which is earmarked for the Library. The project was put out for bid at the beginning of May 2025 and the project was awarded to Swinerton Construction in early July 2025.The Library staff and library services relocated to a temporary space located in Rimrock Plaza in mid-August and reopened on August 25, 2025. The renovation project is expected to take 18 to 36 months, with the grant portion of the project to be completed by March 2026.

When: Thursday, September 18th at 9:15 - 10:15 a.m.

Where: Palm Springs Public Library, 300 S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262, on the corner of Baristo Road and Sunrise Way, the ceremony will take place on the south side of the building outside the original entrance.

Who: City Manager Scott Stiles, the Mayor and City Councilmembers, Library Board of Trustees, Friends of the Library, and the Palm Springs Public Library Foundation board members, City leaders, and staff.

For more information about the Library, call 760-322-READ (7323) or go to www.palmspringslibrary.org. Follow the Library on Facebook, Instagram, and on Engage Palm Springs.  

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