More than 30 years of work culminated Wednesday in the groundbreaking of a new downtown central library in San Diego. The event drew a large crowd and a lot of politicians.
City councilmembers, school board trustees and mayors -- past and present -- were among those that turned out to celebrate the library's groundbreaking.
The project was first mentioned in San Diego in 1977. Judith Harris is a past chair of the board of the San Diego Public Library Foundation. She says the foundation pushed forward despite obstacles.
"You shut the door in our face, we go in the window. You shut the window, we're going to go in the basement. You just can't stop this group," she said.
The new library will include a charter high school and an iconic domed roof. It's projected to cost $185 million. The money comes from a mix of public funds, state grants and private donations. The library foundation still needs to raise about $30 million.
The library is scheduled to be completed in 2013.
