For 50 years, the Winn Room at The Coronado Public Library has served as the hub of community and educational events.
Since the space is free and open to the public, the room is highly utilized, and the City of Coronado has statistical data to reflect that statement.
For instance, from May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023, the Winn Room hosted roughly 420 events with about 15,000 total attendees, according to a report that was presented by Library Director Shaun Briley in the Dec. 12 City Council Special Workshop.
Need of remodel
As a room that gets plenty of traffic, it is in desperate need of remodel, according to Briley.
The cost to expand and renovate the facility from a capacity of 135 people to 208 people could range from $3.28 million to $9.72 million, according to city officials.
Future remodel plans were discussed at the workshop, and community input was provided about the four viable remodel options.
This was the first Winn Room remodel discussion open to the public, and about 30 people attended the special meeting.
Minimal renovations
Since the Winn Room’s original construction in 1973 (just four years after the Coronado Bridge opened) it has received only minimal renovations, according to city of Coronado staff.
Community groups and other users who use the space have voiced concerns that the room is outdated and requires audiovisual and information technology upgrades, improved lighting and acoustics and should be enlarged to accommodate more occupants for larger events.
In addition, the HVAC system, roof, electrical, chairs and restrooms all require replacement or significant updating, they say.
The current seating capacity of the Winn Room is 135 within 1,680 square feet of programmable space.
The most recent Winn Room usage study showed that 12 events from May 2022 to April 2023 were held off site due to the demand for more seating than the Winn Room could provide.
One of three rooms under city control
City Manager Tina Friend said that the top executives in the city have been behind the project, and they have been working on solutions.
Friend said that while they recognize that there are other venues in town that offer more seating and can accommodate 140 or more people, only three venues (the Winn Room included) are in direct control of the city.
The others are the Spreckels Center Grand Room, and the Community Center Nautilus Room.
This is a factor Friend said the executives wanted to focus on, as they continue to work out how to best accommodate all community event needs, and how many seats may need to be added to the Winn Room in the remodel.
Subcommittee determines needs
Three years ago, the City Council first approved executing an agreement with M.W. Steele Group, Inc. to develop a feasibility study regarding design options and associated cost estimates.
An Ad Hoc Subcommittee was developed in July 2021 to develop a needs assessment for the Winn Room. The group first met in August 2021 and has met a total of nine times.
The committee includes former Councilmember Marvin Heinze, Councilmember Casey Tanaka, Councilmember Carrie Downey, members from the library, Public Services & Engineering (PSE) staff and community stakeholders.
The subcommittee conducted a thorough needs assessment and developed four remodel options, which were presented during the Dec. 12 meeting.
But the Winn Room remodel has been in the works since way before the subcommittee’s first meeting.
The discussion began in January 2020 when the council first agreed to develop a feasibility study.
The City Council determined in May 2021, after looking over an expansion proposal with only two remodel options, that more designs should be generated to determine the most cost effective choice to fit the community’s needs.
Four remodel options in place
In the workshop, four remodel blueprints were presented, ranging in cost estimates from $3.28 million to $9.72 million.
A fifth, alternate option contemplated upgrades to the Grand Room at Spreckels Center, with a project cost of $1.72 million.
The first option, at a cost of $3.28 million, keeps the existing footprint of the room with interior upgrades that enhance audio and visual capability, acoustics, lighting and provides a kitchen expansion. Seating capacity will remain at 135.
The second option, at a cost of $4.15 million, will have all of the benefits of option one, with an elevated ceiling that will improve sightlines and improved acoustics from the first option. Seating capacity will remain at 135.
The third option, at $6.44 million, will keep the existing footprint with no northerly incursion into the park and optimize the space by capturing dead space, along with the benefits of options one and two. It will increase seating capacity to 180. One tree must be removed from the park outside of the library.
The fourth option, at a cost of $9.72 million, would be a larger expansion with an added foyer, optional deck space and seating capacity of 208. It would provide an interior-exterior connection with the park, designed as a theater. To accommodate for the building expansion, two trees would need to be removed, with the potential for one more removal if the optional deck was included.
Community input
After the design option presentation, many community members expressed their thoughts.
While some community members urged the council to consider the benefits that a large remodel will have for the future of the community and its events, others brought up concerns about the price tags of the higher cost options.
And a few community members, who were given their first opportunity to provide input, brought up the concerns of tree removal.
Tanaka said during the meeting that the decision to keep the process from the public up until this point, with the four solid options in place, was intentional on the subcommittee’s part.
“I felt like there was a lot of groundwork that the staff needed to do, and that the subcommittee needed to do, and I wanted to get a range of options in place, and then present that range of options to the public and to the council,” Tanaka said.
Now that the groundwork is done, Tanaka proposed that all future subcommittee meetings regarding the Winn Room be open to the public.
“We have time to get this right, and we’re not going to rush to judgment,” Tanaka said.
Mayor Richard Bailey concluded that no options are off the table, and the council is still seeking further detailed information on what scheduling might be available in other meeting spaces, with plenty more opportunities for community input.
