City and county officials, many residents show up to check out new facility on the old Willemsen property
Five years after purchasing the former Willemsen Dairy property for public use, the City of Buellton and its residents got to see a big result of that acquisition on Feb. 8 with the grand opening of the new Buellton Library.
City, county and Goleta Valley Library officials were on hand to usher in the new facility in the refurbished building on 202 Dairyland Road, down the street from River View Park and right next door to the developing Santa Ynez Valley Children’s Museum.
In fact, Ashley Jenkins, the founder and board president for the museum was able to bring out a few games and activities for the kids outside the library, which also had an inflatable slide for entertainment. Also outside the building was a used book sale, a bookmobile from the Isla Vista Library, and staff inside to anwer any questions about the new place.
Leading a quick view of the inside, Buellton City Manager Scott Wolfe pointed out the main area, with the big picture windows offering a view of the hills above the Santa Ynez River, as well as the main conference room that can be divided with a temporary barrier if need be, and a smaller room which will eventually be a store for the Friends of the Buellton Library.
Wolfe said the library was an example of the city trying to expand its focus.
“What I’ve been working on since I’ve been here is going beyond just the basics — filling the potholes, making sure the water turns on — and working more on community amenities,” he said. “Purchasing this [Willemsen] property reallyenabled us to dream big.”
Wolfe said the location of the new library opens up a new area of activity.
“It’ll really be much more of a social hub, and we will have activities going on in here,” he said. “Also, we have it in a nice neighborhood, and with the proximity to the [River View] park and the upcoming Children’s Museum, the Botanical Garden, we really have a nice row of facilities here.”
Holly Sierra, the former Buellton mayor, is now the president of the Friends of the Buellton Library organization and has served as a point person of sorts with the project.
“I think this started about three years ago; we decided to have the library here, and we were planning to have it openabout a year and a half ago,” Sierra said. “However, they ran into problems with the house that needed to be fixed, and it just kept getting extended.”
Sierra said the former library, located on Highway 246 next to the police station and City Council chambers, was closed in September to start the transition, and she is happy the new library is ready.
“I’m just so pleased with it,” she said. “This is, libraries are, the center of the community. People keep saying libraries are a thing of the past, and I couldn’t disagree more.
“I mean, we are planning so many incredible community activities here. We are going to be working with the city to put on some amazing programs.”
The opening culminated in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting in front of the library entrance, with Wolfe and Sierra beingjoined there by Mayor David Silva, Vice Mayor Elysia Lewis, City Councilmember John Sanchez, and library officials and staff members.
Silva told the crowd to give themselves a round of applause for being able to celebrate the birth of a new library, which came to fruition after being first proposed five years ago.
“This is something our little community can be proud of,” he said. “It feels like you’re invited into someone’s home to come and read a book, sit by the fireplace, and have these wonderful views, and this wouldn’t have been possible without so many people to make this happen.”
In her turn addressing the crowd, Lewis admitted she was skeptical of the library proposal at first.
“I stand very humbled. I don’t know if you guys followed the progression of this library, but I was one of the ones that was like ‘Huh? You’re going to take a house on a ranch and you’re going to make it a library?'” she said.
However, Lewis admitted that the efforts of Sierra and the other proponents of the library proved to be right.
“As I stand here this morning, walking in, and seeing it last night, it is stunning,” she said. “And, I could not think of a better way to utilize the property and make it a gem for the city.”
The library is now in operation and open five days a week: Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library will be closed on Thursday and Sunday.
For more information on the library and its programs and events go to goletavalleylibrary.org/about/santa-ynez-valley-libraries or facebook.com/BuelltonLibraries/
