San Diego Union Tribune 

New libraries for Alpine, Fallbrook and Ramona took major steps forward yesterday.

County supervisors approved funding for an $11.6 million Ramona library and a $10.3 million Fallbrook branch. The county will cover the bulk of the costs. Residents groups have separately raised more than $1 million for each project.

The Ramona library would be 19,400 square feet, three times larger than the current facility. The Fallbrook library would be 18,500 square feet, more than twice the size of the current site. Each would have community rooms and computer centers that don't exist today.

The county is seeking proposals from developers for the projects, which are expected to be completed by early 2010.

The Alpine branch is in a much earlier stage. Supervisors approved about $510,000 to buy a property occupied by the Alpine Community Center where the current one-room library could expand. –C.G.