Newport Beach’s $23.5 million library lecture hall project to be reviewed Tuesday

Just as the City Council is set to embark on a new agreement to fund the construction of a world-class lecture hall at the Newport Beach Public Library, residents are voicing concerns about its cost.

The council is expected to consider a new agreement with the Newport Beach Library Foundation on Tuesday, Jan. 9, for the construction of the proposed 10,000-square-foot facility, which would be named the Witte Hall after the foundation received a commitment from long-time supporters Bill Witte and Keiko Sakamoto for a $4 million donation toward construction.

In 2021, the city first agreed to contribute $4 million toward the construction, with a cap of $6.5 million, while the foundation began fundraising for a $6.5 million contribution – making for a $13 million budget. When the lowest bid came in, it was $17.8 million, and the city rejected that and put it out for rebid.

Costs have continued to rise and now the project is estimated at $23.5 million. The city and foundation are proposing to each contribute $11.7 million in this newest agreement being considered by the council. The foundation would put $7.1 million into escrow within 10 days following the council’s approval. Construction on the project could begin in the spring, with completion expected in 2025.

In the last few days, though, at least 200 emails have flooded City Hall, with more residents questioning the new price tag and the city’s contribution than supporting the project.

The new agreement the council will review follows a study session in November, where council members were split in a 4-3 straw poll vote on the project moving forward and formed an ad-hoc committee – comprised of councilmembers Noah Blom and Lauren Kleiman – to work with the foundation on the project’s costs and the plans to move forward.

The new agreement includes a measure to limit rising costs by preventing the foundation from making any enhancements to the ongoing project until it has paid the city the full $11.7 million. The agreement also changes the priority use of the hall. Where originally the use was to be governed by the Board of Library Trustees, it now gives 50 days a year to the foundation for events, and the remainder of the scheduling goes to the city. There is also a provision where the foundation would cover a usage fee.

That additional usage cost, said Jerold Kappel, CEO of the library’s foundation, would be prohibitive. Covering overhead costs for the foundation programs would be nearly impossible while also raising the necessary money for the facility’s construction, he said.

“Each time we hold an event, we have to fundraise,” he said. “In essence, they want the community to pay more for the hall.”

“Our programs are considered library programs,” he added. “I have to report monthly to the trustees. We are an institution-related foundation. We can only support the library, not anything else.”

Nonetheless, Kappel said he remains optimistic, though he is now hesitant about what will happen. He is hopeful the council will continue to be supportive as it has been in past years.

“It will be a beautiful building,” he said, “befitting the city of Newport Beach and the pride its residents take in it.”