History Corner

The First Friend

book about Southeast Asia to the local collection. The book contained a lot of “interesting pictures” of which Minerva Waterman did not approve. David McFadden wound up

Tbeing the assistant librarian at he Friends of the Cabrillo College for 16 years. Aptos Library have a The original library building did program called Our not fare as well. The old Harper Community Reads, building, which then housed a which asks everyone to barbershop and an interior design read the same book, and a series of special events are planned to enrich the experience for those people who do. The Friends also hold book sales and fundraisers to make our library a better place for all of us. But, what if there were no Aptos Library? Our story begins with the very first “friend” who started the library. Upon completing high school, By John Hibble Aptos History Museum business, was destroyed by the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. Aptos was without a library until May 1944. Gas was being rationed because of World War II, so Aptos residents were seldom able to drive to the Santa Cruz library. Hellen Wikkerink started collecting discarded books and Geraldine Work, the Santa Cruz librarian, arranged for a starter collection of 200 books with some specifically for children. The provision was that the location had to be rent-free and Wikkerink the librarian had to be a volunteer. A tiny space was provided by Paul David McFadden moved to Aptos Johnson in the Aptos Market. with his parents in 1929. For his A furniture fundraiser was first local job, he worked for Bob sponsored by the Aptos Chamber and Kate Menefee at the Ocean of Commerce, the Rio del Mar House Hotel on Aptos Street Improvement Association and the where today’s Aptos Street BBQ Seacliff Association. Library hours is located. Bob Menefee ran the were 2:30 to 5:30 Monday and grocery store downstairs and Wednesday afternoons. The library Kate took care of the guest rooms soon relocated to the abandoned upstairs. David McFadden worked office of the Norton Phelps from 6am to 9pm daily, for which Lumber Company behind today’s he was paid $1 per day plus all Aptos Station shopping center. his meals. Later, David worked The library moved several in a Watsonville pharmacy. more times: first to Fred Toney’s

David noticed that there wasn’t lights and water. (This was at and westerns, gift magazines, drug store beside the Bay View much to read in Aptos except the height of the Depression.) nonfiction books and jigsaw Hotel; in 1952, it relocated in magazines like Captain Billy’s These were the days when puzzles. Many of the reference the same building, facing Trout Whiz Bang, which was long on apples were the main industry books had been brought from Gulch Road Wikkerink retired humor but short on educational in town, so David collected 30 David’s home, which included in 1962. As the library grew, it content. David’s appetite for to 40 wooden apple boxes and the World Book Encyclopedia, was relocated to Rancho Del Mar books began to get the better of stacked them up six high as World Almanac and dictionaries. shopping center on Dec. 15, 1964. him. In 1931, David went to see shelves for the books. Once a Soon, everyone was bringing In 1971, a search was conducted Minerva Waterman, the Santa week he borrowed his Mother’s in their own magazines and for a permanent library location, Cruz City/County librarian Ford Model A coupe and took an puzzles and exchanging them. and the new library at the corner who held that position for 40 apple crate full of books down to The library closed in of Soquel Drive and Ledyard years. David’s parents owned the main library in Santa Cruz to October 1935. Most accounts Way was dedicated June 28, the Harper building, a stucco exchange them for a new selection. suggest that David left because he 1975. The library opened for fronted building in Aptos Village. For over two years, he opened wanted to visit Mexico, but in an business on Monday, June 30, Part of the building was vacant the library two afternoons and interview with Carolyn Swift, David circulating 1,142 books, and and would be perfect for a small three evenings a week and said that Minerva Waterman, the it continues to be one of the library. Minerva Waterman circulated 40-50 books per week. librarian, became angry because busiest libraries in the system. agreed to pay $5 a month for The collection contained mysteries he added an anthropological Our county suffered

PULP FICTION The library building at the Norton Phelps Lumber Company in Aptos Village.

JUNE 2021 | APTOS LIFE JUNE 2021 | APTOS LIFE ➝ 7 55

Our customer service team answers over 100,000 calls a year.

Your Community Partner for Reliable Water

PUTTING ON A CLINIC A conceptual drawing of the planned 20,000-squarefoot medical complex which broke ground in Live Oak last month.

HERO COMPLEX 4

housing projects, was interested— though they needed a commercial component to move forward.

Meanwhile, Leslie Conner, CEO of Santa Cruz Community Health (SCCH) and Laura Marcus, CEO of Dientes Community Dental Care, were looking to join forces at the East Cliff Family Health Center. Things had not been working out at the location, so they set their sights on 1500 Capitola Road.

Jan Lindenthal, chief real estate development officer for MidPen, said they saw an opportunity for the three nonprofits to come together.

“We had our own goals, but we recognized the powerful overlap between our missions,” she said. “Healthy communities include access to quality health care that we can all afford and access to safe, beautiful homes that we can all afford.”

Added Sheree Storm, chief development officer for Dientes: “This project happened through relationships, conversations. Everyone involved … saw that need for health and housing that is so prevalent in our community. This new campus really addresses that need head-on.”

This will be MidPen’s 15th affordable-housing community in the county. Fifteen of the homes will be reserved for formerly homeless individuals and families, Lindenthal said.

According to a press release from Dientes, up to 26% of Live Oak School District students are homeless. In addition, thousands of adults do not have a doctor, and 78% of adults on MediCal do not have a dentist.

At the groundbreaking, U.S. Congressman Jimmy Panetta spoke about the number of crises that Santa Cruz County has dealt with recently—wildfires, sea level rise, Covid-19, homelessness, lack of accessible health care— and how all of these issues could not be addressed without the community working together.

“What I appreciate about the people who live here is that we understand that we cannot solve these issues alone,” Panetta said. “One person cannot solve these issues unless we have the relationships, the trust, the leadership and, yes, the partnerships that we see here today.”

Dientes, SCCH and MidPen have been working with other organizations, agencies and individuals on the project, including health care partners such as the California Health Facilities Financing Authority, Dominican Hospital, Kaiser Permanente and the Central California Alliance for Health (CCAH).

In early May, they received major support when CCAH announced they would be investing over $6M into the project—the largest collective contribution to date.

“The project would never have gotten off the ground without the Alliance and many others in our community who are stepping

up to make this dream a reality,” Marcus stated in a press release.

The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County has also raised $2.2 million. At the groundbreaking, Foundation CEO Susan True spoke about how she got involved in the project and her past in Live Oak.

“I think about everything great in our community as something that started as a dream,” True said. “A dream by people who just had a seed of an idea and a devotion to this place. When I was 22 and a new foster mom, totally broke, just starting [my] career … this community welcomed me and my dream to have a safe and permanent home for me and my son.”

Storm pointed out that the 1500 Capitola Road project will also greatly support the local economy. She estimated the impact to be about $45 million through new jobs, taxes and services.

“Of course it’s fantastic to get health and housing, but the economy being built around this is also a huge plus,” she said.

At the groundbreaking, a

HISTORY CORNER 5

substantial damage from the magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake, which happened in 1989 in Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos. The Aptos Library was no exception and had to be repaired. The library is now 45 years old, and it is time for a do-over.

Thanks to a special tax, called Measure S, that was approved by voters in June 2016, Aptos will have a new, larger library constructed in place of the existing building. It was determined that it was less expensive to demolish and rebuild than to retrofit the existing branch. Demolition will begin in June, in coordination with the new Capitola Branch opening. Construction should be completed and the branch should open at the end of 2022.

This is a great historical moment for our community. As I write this, the Aptos History Museum is celebrating 15 years as a freestanding entity, which handful of community members took to the mic to acknowledge the organizations and to express their eagerness for the new center. This included Diana Valdez, a patient who had discovered a small lump in her breast that quickly grew. Not only did SCCH provide her with the care she needed and treat her with respect—they also offered her son counseling to help him deal with her illness, she said.

In addition, her children have used Dientes’ dental care services.

“My children are happy with the experiences they have had during their regular visits to Dientes,” Diana adds. “They talk with their friends and tell them to not be afraid to go to the dentist. The new clinics will help mothers like me who do not drive and have to walk for 30 or 40 minutes to get to our appointments.”

The six-building complex is being built by Bogard Construction and designed by Wald, Ruhnke & Dost Architects. Completion of the clinics is scheduled for 2022, and the housing in 2023.

To learn more, visit 1500capitolaroad.org.

contains a collection of amazing artifacts, photographs and stories collected over the last 35 years. We have been able to share these stories with residents, visitors and the third-grade school children studying local history, but the effort to raise funds to keep this free museum afloat has been a struggle.

Cabrillo historian emeritus Sandy Lydon has always said that history needs to be out where people can find it. We have had small history displays at local banks and the Sheriff’s Service Center, but Second District Supervisor Zach Friend decided that these amazing exhibits should grace the interior of the new Aptos Library where everyone can enjoy them and be educated and entertained about what an amazing place Aptos is.

If you enjoy these stories, please consider joining the museum. Thank you for the many generous donations that help keep the museum open. Our current hours are Monday-Thursday, 11am-4pm.

Non Profit

Join These Businesses in Supporting Non Profit Organizations

If you would like to feature your non profit in this directory, call 831.761.7326

Tools to Make Parenting Easier

First 5 Santa Cruz County triplep.first5scc.org 831.465.2217

Get PADI certified for only $525!

Discover your own underwater backyard and beyond! Trips scheduled for 2021 and 2022! Sign up today! asudoit.com