The chain-link fence around the Buena Park Library at 7150 La Palma Avenue went up on October 6. The day before, crews hauled out the paints and chemicals left inside so the building could be turned over to the contractor. That makes this month the real start of a project that began with a flood three years ago. Its centerpiece is a replacement for the room the flood destroyed.
Until the building reopens, the library's job is spread across town. Holds and programs are at a school campus down the street. Passports go through City Hall. Computers and Wi-Fi are at the neighboring cities' branches. Once you know which address handles what, the next year or so gets much easier.
The water came first
In September 2023, the library basement flooded and took out the community room. The district's project page describes that room as the long-time home of story times, book discussion groups, craft clubs, teen nights and family performances. Soon after, staff found ongoing water intrusion and traced it to groundwater from a high water table. The building had flooded the same way after heavy rains in 1998.
The building has history of its own. The district's Historical Resources Assessment dates it to 1969 and credits the design to William L. Pereira and Associates. The trustees chose that firm after asking 15 firms for proposals and interviewing three, and they held a formal groundbreaking on March 27, 1968. So the renovation updates a 57-year-old civic building that the district has formally assessed for historical significance. It is not a blank-slate rebuild.
The fix began as a repair. In November 2023, the district sought a construction manager and chose Griffin Structures. In August 2024, it chose LPA Design Studios as architect. In March 2025, the Board of Library Trustees voted to expand the project into a more extensive renovation.
What the plan puts back, and where
The scope addresses the water first. It replaces aging electrical and plumbing systems and adds an updated mitigation system for groundwater intrusion. Everything else in the plan builds on that.
The room the flood took is coming back on a different level. The renovation includes a new first-floor multipurpose room for workshops, meetings and community gatherings, which moves that function up out of the basement where the water got in. The full list on the district's renovation project page also includes:
- An expanded and refreshed children's area
- New service desks at the main entrance, plus new stairs, railings and furniture throughout
- A larger new elevator, an exterior access ramp and new exterior entrance stairs
- A new storefront with wider entry doors and new glazing
- Fire sprinklers, fencing, a trash enclosure and access control systems
- Electrical updates, plus audio and video systems for the meeting rooms
- Renovated staff areas and new paint, carpet, shelving and fixtures
The programs that lost their space in 2023 are the same ones the new first-floor room and expanded children's area are built for.
What it costs and who is paying
On September 1, after receiving 11 bids, the board awarded the construction contract to Monet Construction, Inc. The contract is $6,953,432, and the board authorized another $1,043,015 in contingency. That contingency was already part of the approved budget. The Park covered the award later that month.
The construction contract is only part of the cost. Financing documents in the district's October board packet put total project costs at $12.5 million. The district is covering $8 million from its own funds, and lease financing covers the remaining $4.5 million. Total lease proceeds come to about $4.78 million because they also pay $224,387.78 in interest during construction and $60,000 in issuance costs. Over 20 years, the lease's estimated interest comes to $2,686,397.22. District staff wrote that the 4.690% lease financing protects reserves for policy compliance, other capital planning and emergencies.
There is also federal money for the infrastructure side. In March 2026, Representative Tran's office announced $850,000 in Community Project Funding for mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades. The district reports that award separately from the $12.5 million figure. As of August 31, 2026, it had not yet been recognized in the district's books.
How long the fence stays up
On June 15, the district said it expected construction to start this fall and the temporary relocation to last 18 to 24 months. Counted from the June move, that points to somewhere between December 2027 and June 2028.
The October financing documents give a related date. They estimate the renovated facility will be placed in service no later than December 31, 2027. That estimate appears in lease paperwork. The district has not announced it as a reopening date, and it falls at the early end of the June range. There has already been one delay. August board minutes record that construction had been expected to begin in fiscal year 2025–26 and slipped, which left a $1.4 million year-end surplus.
Here is the sequence from the flood to the fence:
- September 2023: The basement flood destroys the community room.
- November 2023: The district seeks a construction manager and later selects Griffin Structures.
- August 2024: LPA Design Studios is chosen as architect.
- March 2025: Trustees expand the scope.
- June 2026: The library moves to its temporary site.
- August 19, 2026: Bids are opened.
- September 1, 2026: The contract goes to Monet Construction.
- September 17, 2026: The pre-construction meeting is held.
- October 5–6, 2026: Hazardous materials are removed and the construction fence goes up.
- December 31, 2027: The financing documents' estimate for the building to be back in service.
That leaves roughly 14 months of construction between now and the earliest estimate.
Where each part of the library went
The temporary library is at the Walter Knott Education Center, 7300 La Palma Avenue, Building 10. It offers scheduled programs, holds pickup and browsing. Wi-Fi, seating, the computer lab and passport services are not available there. Before you go, check the district's location and hours page or call 714-826-4100. Its posted schedule still sits beside the old address.
| What you used the library for | Where it is now |
|---|---|
| Holds pickup, browsing, scheduled programs | Walter Knott Education Center, 7300 La Palma Ave., Building 10 |
| Passport applications | Buena Park City Hall, City Clerk's Office, 6650 Beach Blvd., first floor, by appointment |
| Passport applications, county option | OC Clerk-Recorder North County Branch, 222 S. Harbor Blvd., Suite 110B, Anaheim |
| Public computers and free Wi-Fi | OC Public Libraries branches in Cypress, La Palma and Stanton |
| Public computers, Fullerton | Fullerton Public Library Main Library, 353 W. Commonwealth Ave. |
Passports
Buena Park City Hall's City Clerk's Office is an authorized U.S. passport acceptance agency. It takes applications Monday through Thursday, by appointment only, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is closed for passports on several dates this fall: Wednesday, October 28; Thursday, October 29; Thursday, November 5; Wednesday, November 11; Wednesday, November 25; Thursday, November 26; and Thursday, December 3. The city's passport page has the booking link and passport instruction videos in Spanish and Korean. It also notes that as of October 1, 2026, the optional Priority Mail Express 1–3 day delivery fee rose to $26.87.
The county is the other option. The OC Clerk-Recorder's North County Branch in Anaheim offers passport services Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It takes no passport walk-ins after 4 p.m.
Computers, Wi-Fi and somewhere to sit
The closest OC Public Libraries branches are Cypress Library at 5331 Orange Avenue, La Palma Library at 7842 Walker Street and Stanton Library at 7850 Katella Avenue. All three list public computers and free Wi-Fi. According to OC Public Libraries, California residents with valid ID can get a full-service card, and it works at any OCPL branch.
In Fullerton, public computers are only at the Main Library, during regular hours. The Fullerton Public Library is closed Sunday and Monday. It is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The next few weeks on La Palma and Beach
Programs are still running at the temporary site. The library's Teens Halloween Art Night is Tuesday, October 27, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The next afternoon, City Hall hosts Cops 'N' Goblins from 2 to 6 p.m., with food trucks, a pumpkin patch, trunk-or-treat, a costume contest and carnival games. The City Clerk's passport desk is closed that day and the next, so anyone planning a passport visit should book around October 28 and 29.
The library district closes for Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, and for Thanksgiving from Thursday, November 26, through Saturday, November 28. The City Clerk's passport desk is also closed November 11.
The board reports progress at its regular meetings, and its monthly packets are posted on the district's website. Those packets are where the October fence and hazardous-materials dates first appeared.
Jin Hong Team is based in Buena Park, and civic projects like this one along La Palma Avenue are part of how we follow the city we work in. If you own a home near the library and want to see where its value stands while the work goes on, request a free home valuation and we'll go over it with you.
