North Salinas library closes for demolition, rebuilding

A North Salinas library open for more than 50 years closed its doors Saturday.

City leaders and library patrons were at the El Gabilan Library on North Main Street. They celebrated the library’s history, open since 1966.

El Gabilan is only 3,400 square feet and the city’s library director says it is getting too small for the area.

The plans now are to demolish the current building late summer and replace it with a new 21,000 square foot library with new, tech-ready equipment.

“It’s kind of a bittersweet occasion for us. It’s sad to say goodbye to this building that’s served the community for so many years, but on the other hand, it’s time for a change,” said Cary Ann Siegfried, the director of Salinas Library and Community Services.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new library is scheduled for early September. The city is planning to have it completed in late 2019.

If you still need to go to the library in North Salinas, there is a limited service location in Northridge Mall opening up this month.