The new Donald Dungan Library in Lions Park is set to open on Friday, May 24 immediately following a ribbon-cutting ceremony that starts at 10 a.m.  The public is invited to attend the event that will feature formal presentations, light refreshments, live entertainment and more.

In 2017, the City of Costa Mesa broke ground on Phase 1 of the $36.5 million Lions Park projects, resulting in a new Donald Dungan Library. Phase 2 will include a revamped Neighborhood Community Center and significant improvements to the Lions Park playground area.

The library is named after Donald Dungan, who was Costa Mesa’s first city attorney, serving from 1953 to 1966. He was also a Harbor Court judge for 16 years and served on the Newport Harbor High School Board of Trustees.

The original Donald Dungan Library was built in 1986. The facility is owned by the city and library services are provided by Orange County Public Libraries.

The new 23,615-square-foot library was designed by the Southern California-based architectural firm Johnson Favaro and the construction was managed by Costa Mesa’s Public Services Department and the Tovey/Shultz construction firm.

The LEED Gold constructed building features a main collection with numerous seating and reading areas, a children’s collection with interactive play area, a teen space with exclusive amenities, two rooms with advanced audio visual presentation capabilities that can be used for conferences or assemblies, two dedicated study rooms with presentation monitors and a Friends of the Costa Mesa Libraries work room and showcase.

Phase 1 of the project also includes a one-acre park with 25,000 square feet of programmable grass area. Upon completion of Phase 2, a total of 225 new trees will have been planted in Lions Park.