A new chapter begins for Tower District residents as city and county officials on Wednesday announced the creation of a temporary library to suffice until a permanent home is found.

Furniture has been ordered for the Tower District Regional Library in the rooms of community center at the Ted C. Wills Community Center, and by December, officials hope to have begun installing shelves, desks, chairs, and tables, said Terrence Eckman, deputy director for the Fresno County Public Library.

Alongside the books and computers will be a return of the Talking Book Library to the region — an entire room dedicated to advance reading and literacy for the visually impaired.

“After 51 years the Fresno County Public Library is excited to return to the Tower District community,” Eckman said. “We believe libraries enrich lives and transform communities. We look forward to serving long-time residents and introducing a new generation to everything the library offers.”

Highway City is scheduled to get its library expansion before the Tower District. But with Measure B renewal coming in 2028, Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez said 2027 — the year he will be board chair — will greatly focus on library expansions, with the Tower library driving the renewal campaign. And already, officials have begun eyeing locations.

With the decision made official Tuesday to end discussions about privatizing the library, Chavez said there are two reasons to celebrate.

“One is obviously our Tower District library, but yesterday our community got some great news where I can now announce that the issue, the concept, the theory of privatizing public libraries in Fresno County is dead,” Chavez said.

Tower Lost Library in 1975

Tower District lost its library in 1975 when because of “extremely poor conditions,” it moved to Dakota and Fruit avenues, Eckman said.

Since then, the community has clamored for a library with a petition of thousands circulated by Tower resident Brooke Payton. While only 1,600 square feet, the library would have enough space for commonly checked out books, four computers, and a childhood literacy station.

Eckman called the book selection “reasonably sized” with general interest and newer publications prioritized. People can request that any book be sent to the location.

Immediately next door to the library will be the Talking Book Library, a service run by the National Library System, providing free audiobooks and braille services for the blind and print disabled.

In total, the space will be about 2,600 square feet.

Fresno City Councilmember Annalisa Perea said the community center has long served families in the area. She allocated $50,000 in the previous city budget to help jumpstart finding the location for the permanent home.

“We are making meaningful progress toward restoring a service that has been missing from the Tower District for generations,” Perea said. “This temporary location will allow us to begin serving residents sooner, rather than asking families to wait until a permanent library is built.”

Chicken Pie Shop, Dollar Tree Considered for Library Locations

Residents want a lot of amenities in modern libraries, including quiet rooms, study rooms, community rooms, and tech centers, Eckman said. The new Clovis Regional Library — slated for a February 2027 opening — will be the system’s largest at 26,000 square feet.

At 15,000 square feet, the new Reedley library, with a similar opening date, has a quiet room and meeting room, but not a study room.

It’s at the 20,000-square-foot range that the library can begin adding in everything a community desires, Eckman said.

Chavez also said that after community discussions, officials want the new library in the heart of Tower.

“Can you see the Tower Theater from the Tower library?” Chavez said. “That will be the driving force or guiding light of the parcel, of the property that we decide to land on.”

Staff have already considered three locations — the former Chicken Pie Shop, Cafe Midi, and Dollar Tree, Chavez said.

When the Chicken Pie Shop building sold, that closed the door on that possibility — not to mention limited parking, Eckman said.

Other possible spaces required renting, something the library has been trying to move away from, he added.

“Our rents have gone up,” Eckman said. “If we have a five-year deal, after five years, they want more money and it is unfortunate because we have only owned about, not even half of our libraries.”

Rural Communities Call for Libraries

Voters approved Measure B in 1998 as a way for “more hours, more books, more service,” Eckman said.

When the 1/8-cent tax came up for renewal, voters approved expanding spending to include capital projects.

A power outage Wednesday meant Measure B audit reports were not immediately available, but in 2023, the tax had collected $356 million in taxes. The fund currently has enough in it for the Highway City expansion and several remodels, including the Sunnyside Library, a rented space.

Del Ray residents have long clamored for a library as have others in rural communities, Eckman said.

Payton, who long worked to get the Tower location secured, said Ted C. Wills offers residents more than just a library.

“You have to remember, this is only the beginning, it’s not the end,” Payton said. “Just because we get a small temporary library to start off with doesn’t mean that we’re to be forgotten by the city of Fresno.”