The Ygnacio Valley Library in Walnut Creek will serve as a state-run COVID-19 test site beginning on Sunday, August 23.
In order to allow use of the facility, library services will be suspended at 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 22, until further notice.
“We are sad to close one of our libraries at a time when services are in high-demand,” said County Librarian Melinda Cervantes. “But we understand the importance of providing space for community testing and hope use of the library will help to slow the spread in Contra Costa County.”
To get tested for COVID-19, visit coronavirus.cchealth.org/get-tested or call (844) 421-0804.
It amazes me that in all of the Walnut Creek/Concord area they could not find another building to use for this testing site. This is a shame and, unless I missed it, there was no public discussion on this issue. By the library’s own admission, services of the library are in high demand.
The library wasn’t even open to begin wtih, they were only offering walk up pickup.
But now walk-up has been shut off.
Are the employees shut out?
Dumb, dumb, dumb idea. 🤪
You mean there are no vacant buildings in downtown to place this temporary site????? Or maybe Shadelands has a vacancy?
The Halloween Store seems to find them. 🎃👻
Interesting story, when the discussion of paying for more services at the downtown library came up, the person who was project manager for the new library build, said, “the Ygnacio library has more people checking out cookbooks, and the downtown library, with showers, has more people checking out Russian literature”. (She didn’t say, with showers).
You won’t let us in to pick up a book.
But we can come in to test for a communicable disease, that can reside on surfaces. Good job. 👍
Gross! Will never step foot in there again!
Walnut Creek is littered with permanently closed or otherwise vacant commercial/retail space. Yet the County voluntarily chooses to close a library for this testing?
Yet another instance of a decision based on stupidity and incompetence from our government officials.
gotta pay to rent out vacant buildings from someone. No cost to use a bldg owned and operated by the city
Why the County couldn’t work with the City to identify an underutilized building boggles the mind. Welcome to government at work…..and the WC Mayor heralds what a good thing…why not offer a CITY building or the Arts Center that isn’t being utilized??? No, use a resource the community JUST got back…..so now we must go downtown to get a library book. If someone wants to get tested they can go to LabCorp and get results quickly, unlike the County where result reporting is all over the board and sometimes as long as two weeks (useless at that point).
The Walnut Creek City Council meeting offices are nicely appointed.
Another poor decision by our county government. YV Library is heavily used by the community. The two-lane road it sits on is always busy, the parking lot is small, and the parking lot is difficult to exit because of all the traffic. I can’t imagine a worse location. Meanwhile, multiple offices buildings in Shadelands are vacant and have huge parking lots.
Contra Costa County is considering using librarians as contact tracers.
So we might not get the library back any time soon.
The Ygnacio library was constructed when that area was county land. As it was a “county library” the county purchased the land and paid for constructing the library. The Central library was similar in that it too was a county library on county owned land.
As the cities grew they annexed county land with Walnut Creek expanding east into the Ygnacio valley and now including the the Ygnacio branch library. Walnut Creek also expanded to the north just short of Oak Park Blvd and Pleasant Hill expanded south to just past Oak Park Blvd meaning the Central library was within Pleasant Hill.
The two libraries remained as county owned and run facilities. Later the city of PH took over the Central library and rented the building from the county. The library was renamed the PH library at that point.
Thus, it makes sense that if the county has a temporary need for space in the Ygnacio Valley they they would use the library building. I suspect they don’t need much space within the library and can use the conference room that’s in the back corner but will be using the parking lot for drive up testing.
The Central / Pleasant Hill library building still exists but the interior has been gutted for asbestos remediation plus the city of PH is rebuilding the sidewalks meaning there’s significant construction activity. I suspect a COVID-19 test site could be run in the parking lot once the sidewalk work is done.
Yikes!!! Makes me want to chase my tail.
Thought Mr. Thurmond Casey? contributed the land and money to build the library bearing his name.
Anyone know the history and if WC pays to operate it?
Does the $ity or $ounty receive monetary compensation for this ludicrous decision? #$$$$$
The nine most terrifying words in the English language.
” I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”
Most are just selfish morons looking for lifetime benefits.
A juicy retirement, and lazy work. These people are not working for us.
That’s not over dramatic at all
@yogurt Agreed
I think this is a outrage! Obviously we need more testing sites and we need to prioritize public health. However, as mentioned above there are a number of county buildings not currently being used that would be more appropriate and easier for the community to use as a testing site.
Its a disservice to our community and our mental health to shut down a library! The entire catalog inside the Ygnacio Valley Library won’t be accessible for the time the library is being used. Its a community library where many patrons walk or ride their bikes to pick up books. Its regularly and heavily used public service that’s being taken away without any input by the community. As school libraries have shut down the community has relied on access to books through our public libraries. Out children are spending too much time on computers and need to look at real books.
I’m disappointed and don’t think they should hold our books hostage!
Obvious to who? “Prioritize public health” “ trust the science” These phrases along with 8 others were war gamed and focus grouped to manipulate our society into conformity. You talk a big game now that you are affected by unchecked government power. Where were you when businesses were getting shut down? All state and local government has been operating without public input since the COVID began. But it finally matters now because it’s your library… Selfish and inconsiderate. You should care about everyone who’s have their rights taken away
Imagine the covid the Clown positive results residue in all the books, etc.
They won’t let you put your groceries on the conveyor belt when someone else is checking out, but they will allow this insanity
Holy Mother of God!
Sam, you’re opinion is why they didn’t ask for the public’s input. It is apparent you don’t understand why They did what they did
What does that mean? What part of my opinion offends you? The part talking about people’s rights? Or is it the part about the government operating without public input?
I believe I read somewhere that the building formerly occupied by The Claim Jumper recently became available. It’s centrally located, too. It’s got a bar – I mean – waiting area, and a kitchen that would make a nice lab.
I’m pretty sure people won’t be going inside the building. I’m sure testing will be a drive-through and if anybody is going inside it’s just testing staff to use the bathroom. Sanitizing space be it an office building or Library is not that difficult. The books will be fine.
That’s not the point. If you can’t understand the point, you have no business voting in any election. We don’t need people with lack of basic understanding.
@Sam
Yes. And therein lies the problem. And likely the fruit does not fall far from the tree. Bleak.
WHY?
This will be a traffic nightmare.
Bing… I got it. Libraries, schools, churches. All places you would go to cast your in person vote and all are closed. This is voter suppression. The state of California is suppressing our right to vote for Donald Trump. They are scared.
Yep! You got it!
Yes, exactly. I’ve been posting the same for a couple weeks now on Claycord…they have closed the polling locations on purpose.
Now, Part II is: use some of that $25B the Dems want for the USPS (to “accommodate” the surge in mail-in ballots) to prepare and expand the polling locations, to include schools, churches, and libraries. Like I said, if social distancing works for Home Depot, grocery stores, and bakeries then it works for opening up more polling locations and allow registered voters to vote in-person for the most important office holder in the World!! But no……..
Agreed
Northgate and YV which both have huge parking lots and are not being used for school are available and in the same area, but the library is being closed for book pick up instead?
Clients will only be tested with an appointment. There will be 12 appointments per hour with testing being done in one room in the library. Clients will park and walk in for the test. If you do not have covid-19 when you go in, you could by the time you leave. Covid-19 stays in the air for 3 hours indoors and you either take your mask off or pull it down for the test. It is CRAZY to have the test indoors.
Because as free Americans, we should have a choice. Our freedoms are being chipped away little by little, so people won’t notice…UNTIL THEY’RE GONE FOR GOOD.
‘Cardiac Arrests up 800 Percent’: 600+ Doctors Warn Lockdowns Doing Much More Damage Than COVID”
https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2020/may/doctors-group-warns-lockdowns-doing-more-damage-than-covid-19
05-20-2020
Paul Strand
I got tested and I got my results back in 60 hours.
It’s run through the county but I guess you can blame Newsome somehow for something……not sure why you would bring him up
hey Yogurt. Gavin runs the state…… into the ground….that’s why!
stop falling for his smoker voice quackery babble!
Would not a closed school make more sense ? ? ?
A parking lot that could handle vehicles driving thru enabling testing without people having to exit their vehicles ?
Have to agree with Mary Fouts when it comes to competency of our government officials.
To ask a school district for use of one of their parking lots might involve making a single phone call, but that would take such an amount effort . . . . .
Life and death is way more important than book returns. Jeez, just go read books online like the rest of the world. Get with it.
Maybe you should get your face out of a screen and experience the palpable things in this world.
I understand that the City of Walnut Creek has opened a state-run testing site in four different locations within the City. Each of these locations has had to be deactivated for various reasons.
I wonder if citizen pushback got the first four locations closed so they decided to just jam this one through, no questions asked?
Anyone know where these ‘former’ sites were?
This would make a great news story. Inquiring minds would like to know. Or is it a secret?
Where will kids who have to print text and work from school go? Students who don’t have access to a printer, but learn better on paper need printers. The libraries provided this. OPEN THE LIBRARIES!