MOUNTAIN HOUSE — After a lengthy discussion about an alternate site for the community library, the Mountain House Board of Directors voted unanimously Wednesday, Aug. 8 to begin negotiating a one-year extension to the lease of its present location.

Community Business Manager Gay Giles told the board it had five choices to consider regarding the library: moving it either to the new Lammersville School District building or to the Mountain House Community Services District government building; closing it; expanding into an adjacent space; or extending the lease with Trimark Communities LLC, which owns the property.

If the library moved from 579 Wicklund Crossing, extensive renovations would likely be required to make any new site conform to the library’s needs.

Lammersville Unified School District President Matthew Balzarini told the board that the new Lammersville office, 111 S. De Anza Blvd., was too small to house a public library. Similar problems exist with moving into the Mountain House government building space on the first floor of 230 S. Sterling Drive.

Board of directors President Bernice King Tingle asked what the proposed move into the government building would mean for city staffing, and Giles told her she would have to shift some employees around to accommodate the library.

Eric Bose, the director of development for Trimark, reminded the board that the company was opposed to renovations to the first floor of the Mountain House government building to make room for the library. He said doing so would involve splitting the front business office area.

Trimark, the community’s lead developer, also owns the government building.

Bose discouraged directors from discussing the contract during an open meeting and suggested they discuss it in closed session. He also reminded the directors that Trimark was in a “difficult situation,” because it had already given them two extensions for discussions that should have been finished in May.

The library’s lease runs out in February. A one-year agreement would include the option to renew for three more years.

"We did the best we could to bring this to the board," said Mimi Duzenski, acting general manager, regarding lease extension talks.

Director Celeste Farron said she felt that using money from the community facility fund to lease the Wicklund Crossing space was taking away from the money needed to build a library in the future.

Each time a builder pulls a permit to construct a house, the builder pays $783 into the fund for the library, Giles said. The community has $4 million set aside for a new library, which will be built when the community grows to 4,500 homes.

As of Aug. 10, Mountain House had 3,520 homes, including 255 townhouses.

Farron and directors Jass Singh and Jim Lamb said they favored moving the library into the Mountain House government building, because the community already pays Trimark $391,536 annually to rent the first floor. Farron said she hoped to save the community facility fund money by eliminating the library lease, which is $174,055 a year.

Director Andy Su reminded the board that Trimark said he believed directors had two options: close the library or renegotiate the lease.

• Contact Denise Ellen Rizzo at 830-4225 or drizzo@tracypress.com

AT A GLANCE:

WHAT: Mountain House Community Services District Board of Directors

WHEN: 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 8

WHERE: Michael Forbes McGrew Board Room, 230 S. Sterling Drive

DETAILS: Board President Bernice King Tingle, and directors Any Su, Jim Lamb, Celeste Farron and Jass Singh were present.