THOUSAND OAKS : Bidding Rules Waived for Library Shelving

Trying to speed up a temporary relocation of the Thousand Oaks Library main collection, the City Council has voted unanimously to waive formal bidding requirements for new bookshelves.

The entire library collection is being moved into the old city hall at 2400 Willow Lane so that repairs on the earthquake-damaged main library on Janss Road can be completed more quickly.

The expedited bidding procedure will spare the city the 45 days typically required for accepting bids.

Librarians want to begin moving books in March.

With major work required on the roof and ceiling, the city decided to relocate the collection rather than having patrons and construction workers dodging each other for the next year.

Because the damage stemmed from the Jan. 17, 1994, Northridge earthquake, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is paying for moving expenses and the cost of leasing 2400 Willow Lane from Amgen Inc.

Ed Johnduff, the city staff member who is coordinating the move, said moving the shelves for the 290,000 books, magazines, tapes and reference materials from Janss Road to Willow Lane is not cost-effective.

The shelves at Janss Road are anchored to the building’s floor for seismic safety.

Instead, the city will purchase $80,000 worth of waist-high, free-standing shelves for use at Willow Lane.

Johnduff said FEMA has agreed to reimburse the city for the cost of the shelves.