LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The public is invited to attend the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Middletown Senior Center and Library complex, which will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

The event, which begins at 10 a.m., will take place at 21256 Washington St., between Douglas and Callayomi streets, in Middletown.

The dual-use facility will comprise 12,377 square feet of space that includes a 4,400-square-foot senior center, a 5,450-square-foot public library, and a 2,527-square-foot common area.

The complex will provide a new home for the current county-operated public library that is just 1,790 square feet and the existing senior center operated by Middletown Seniors Inc. that is just 2,100 square feet – both of which are antiquated and insufficient to meet current demand or future needs of the area’s growing population.

“This project represents a significant county investment in the community of Middletown that we anticipate will provide many jobs for local contractors, construction suppliers, and other vendors,” said County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox.

“It’s exciting to see this project move forward,” Cox said. “It will not only create much-needed facility space for the Middletown Seniors and the County Library, but with its central location next to the new County park, it also will provide the community with a significant, central gathering place.”

Eric Seely, Lake County’s deputy redevelopment director who is performing project-management duties on the construction project, said, “It truly will be a beautiful facility, a building with a sense of place, and a design that will be able to serve the community for many years to come.”

Seely said the building’s design includes exterior arch details and an interior that will feature plenty of natural light with its vaulted ceilings, skylights, and lots of windows.

The total project cost is estimated to be $3,680,304. While construction bids came in above the preliminary construction estimate, the Board of Supervisors approved awarding the project to the low bidder, R. E. West Construction of Santa Rosa. Construction is estimated to take approximately one year.

The county is providing the bulk of the funding for the construction project with additional funding sources including $545,000 toward construction of the senior center from Community Development Block Grant Program Income; $40,000 toward construction of the library from Indian Gaming Mitigation Funds; and $50,000 for library equipment from USDA’s Rural Development Community Facilities Program.

The facility will be immediately adjacent to the new Middletown Square Park currently being developed by the County’s Public Services Department in cooperation with a local volunteer park committee; the park design includes turf and stamped concrete walkways and additional trees and shrubs to complement existing oak trees.

Additional park amenities such as a rock wall, interactive water feature, and restrooms may be added if a grant application to the state’s park grant program is approved next spring.

Combined, the new facility and the new park will comprise approximately 2.5 acres of public space.

For information about the Middletown Senior Center and Library Complex, contact Eric Seely or Jeff Rein in the Lake County Administrative Office at 707-263-2580.

For information about the Middletown Square Park, contact Lake County Public Services at 707-262-1618.

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