Photo by Sarah Shmerling
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
Pacific Palisades Library Association has launched a survey for community members to share their “vision for the new Palisades library.”
Some of the questions posed in the survey include “what did you like most about our library?” and “what would make the library even better than before?”
Palisades Branch Library—located at 861 Alma Real Drive—burned in the Palisades fire. Debris removal was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, officials announced during a press conference at the site on Thursday, April 17—100 days after the Palisades fire started on January 7.
“This library itself is a symbol of what we’ve lost—yes—but more so of what we’re determined to restore,” Councilmember Traci Park said during the press conference. “Recovery doesn’t happen overnight, and for the families who lost everything, this is not abstract. It’s navigating insurance claims, fighting to get permits, living in limbo and trying to rebuild from scratch, and that’s why we are all laser focused on removing every obstacle standing in the way. We do have a long road ahead, but step by step, we are clearing the way forward, and as long as it takes, I’ll be right here fighting for this community.”
City Librarian John Szabo explained that USACE was given a 30-day window to clear the library parcel, and it was done in six. He acknowledged and thanked Palisades Branch Library Senior Librarian Mary Hopf, Administrative Clerk Roberta Frank and PPLA President Laura Schneider for their advocacy and support of the library and its programming.
Officials are considering a temporary location for library services to resume in the Palisades while work to rebuild the permanent library is underway.
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