Riverside’s Duran Eastside Library gets $10M in state funds

The city of Riverside has been awarded $10 million in state funds for a new Spc. Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library, which is named for one of Riverside’s three Medal of Honor recipients.

The funding is a grant from the second round of the California State Library’s Building Forward Library Facilities Infrastructure program, according to city statement. The grant will assist the Riverside Public Library in constructing a stand-alone branch library to replace the existing Duran facility currently located in a shopping center on Chicago Avenue, south of University Avenue. 

The new library will be at Bobby Bonds Park near University and Kansas avenues.

“Libraries bring our community together, young, old and everyone in-between!” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. “But libraries aren’t just for books. They are trusted neighborhood hubs for learning, innovation and connecting and can help bridge the digital divide.  These funds are crucial to getting this facility built and available to the community.”

“The $10 million is a substantial investment in the $20 million project and follows an earlier $4.5 million appropriation from the state budget,” city spokesman Phil Picthford said in a statement. “The City recently identified another $1 million to complete the funding package for the project, which is currently being designed.”

The Building Forward library grant program provided more than $172 million to 34 local libraries for critical maintenance needs, improving energy efficiency and sustainability and expanding digital and physical access in 29 cities across 18 counties in California, according to Riverside officials.

The Duran Eastside Library in Riverside is among seven new library buildings that will be built statewide thanks to the grant funding, according to Riverside officials. Another 27 libraries will add energy efficiency improvements, seven libraries will expand or redesign spaces for public events and programs and 12 libraries will make critical roof and foundation repairs and address issues affecting building exteriors.

“The new Spc. Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library will be a huge benefit for residents of the Eastside neighborhood,” Mayor Pro Tem Erin Edwards said in a statement. “This new facility will be a welcome addition to a community gathering spot that already includes the park and the Cesar Chavez Community Center.”