Architects have submitted their designs and contractors have turned in their bids on two Fresno County libraries, one in Reedley, one in Clovis. The next step is for county supervisors to pick the winner.

Fresno County Supervisors will hear the different proposals for the two projects at Tuesday’s meeting. County staff say that by combining the two projects into one, awarding the design and construction of both libraries to one bidder, the taxpayers would save money.

The county has $37 million budgeted for the two new libraries: $24 million for Clovis, $13 million for Reedley. If approved, county staff expect work to begin spring 2025 and end in spring 2026 in Reedley and fall 2026 in Clovis.

“We’re super excited that we’re now reaching the point where it’s almost like I can smell the dirt turning practically,” said Reedley City Manager Nicole Zieba.

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Reedley’s Library Would Be a Massive Upgrade

Zieba said getting a new library has been a decades-long process. Reedley citizens largely use the library for classes and tutoring, but at 5,000 square feet, space is limited. The county currently leases space for their library.

Not only that, the county had to close it for a time after a strange odor.

The new one will nearly triple what Reedley has now, totaling 14,000 square feet.

The county reached out to citizens to see what they wanted out of the library. While not completely designed, Zieba said there will be computer rooms, tutoring spaces and a large space for talks and gatherings.

The Reedley Friends of the Library Group proposed a reading garden, Zieba said, but that hasn’t been finalized.

“There’s some really interesting ideas floating out there in terms of additional things that could be associated with the library, but for sure it’s going to have a lot of spaces for what we currently need in our library,” Zieba said.

Clovis Library in New Development

The new library would be behind the new Clovis Senior Activity Center. The size of the new library would be more than double the Reedley one at more than 26,000 square feet.

Like the one in Reedley, the Clovis location would have a variety of rooms such as community rooms, study rooms, and dedicated children and teen areas. The new library would replace the one at 1155 Fifth St., tripling the one at 8,627 square feet.