Rossmoor and Los Alamitos residents can finally set foot inside their local library after nearly two years of closed doors.
County officials, library staff and community members gathered on Monday in celebration of the Los Alamitos-Rossmoor Library reopening after extended renovations.
Residents hadn’t seen the inside of their library since February 2023.
The Orange County Public Libraries (OCPL) branch was expected to reopen late summer 2024 but the project — which cost over $3 million — experienced some delays primarily due to the installation of a fire sprinkler system.
[Read: Los Alamitos-Rossmoor Library to Reopen this Summer After a Year of Renovations]
“The fire sprinklers were a last minute addition that the county didn’t think they maybe didn’t have to do,” said Mark Augustin, Superintendent with Vincor Construction Inc., who oversaw the project. “But then with all the upgrades, they insisted they upgrade a fire sprinkler system, because there was no fire sprinkler system.”
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The Los Alamitos-Rossmoor Branch Library on July 26, 2024. The library has been closed due to ongoing renovations since February 2023. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC -
A view of the construction on the Los Alamitos-Rossmoor Branch Library on July 26, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC -
Empty bookshelves and ladders inside the Los Alamitos-Rossmoor Branch Library on July 29, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC -
The interior of the Los Alamitos-Rossmoor Branch Library on July 29, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC -
A statue outside the Los Alamitos-Rossmoor Branch Library on July 29, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC -
The interior of the Los Alamitos-Rossmoor Branch Library on July 29, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC
The county library’s spokesperson wouldn’t speak directly to questions about the fire sprinklers, but noted that the building did meet fire safety standards.
“Regarding fire safety, the library met the safety standards required by fire authorities, as confirmed by annual inspections prior to the project,” said Dan Seranilla, Marketing and Communications Manager with OCPL. “While we understand there was some perception of an extended closure, we hope the community is pleased with the project outcomes and the improvements made.”
The sprinklers required new structural supports to be added to the building, which required 20-feet-long rafters to be tucked into existing structures in the ceiling, according to Augustin.
Outside of structural improvements, the branch received a Library of Things through a sustainability grant from the California State Library.
The Library of Things is a collection of gardening tools, cookware, sewing machines, Cricut machines, home efficiency kits and other items available to check out from OC Public Libraries branches.
Los Alamitos-Rossmoor’s Library of Things includes children’s toys, kitchen supplies and other items.
“I actually homeschool my kids, so I am at the library a lot, during the day and the evening,” said Uzma Husain, a Seal Beach resident that attended the reopening with her sons, Mustafa Ali and Humza Ali.
Husain and her sons were checking out a toy from the Library of Things collection, in addition to board games and books.
“I like the programs they have, and it’s very important to the public that they offer resources like this.”
Three other OCPL branches – Aliso Viejo, Stanton and Dana Point – are currently closed across the county due to construction or renovations.
The Rossmoor community was established in 1957 by Ross Cortese, who is also known for developing Seal Beach’s Leisure World and other planned retirement communities across the United States.
There are 3,500 homes, four schools, two parks and a shopping center nestled within the unincorporated area.
Los Alamitos is a far older community, with roots in the Rancho era – the colonization of California in the 1700s through the Portola expedition.
The city was chartered in 1960 – decades after it was established as a township in the late 1800s.
“Space has always been an issue in Los Alamitos. This library was dark, and this project helped to create an inviting space packed with light,” said Los Alamitos Council Member Tanya Doby following the ribbon cutting ceremony.
“Libraries are community spaces, and this library now looks and feels like a community space.”
Erika Taylor is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow and photojournalist. You can find her on Instagram @camerakeepsrolling or email at etaylor@voiceofoc.org
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