Historic Porter Vallejo Mansion undergoing renovation into new community space

PAJARO, Calif. (KION-TV) -- A historic part of Pajaro will be restored to become an even bigger part of the community.

The Porter Vallejo Mansion, once home to the Pajaro library, will be revitalized with a community space and an improved library.

The Mansion was damaged during the 2023 Pajaro flood with the library closed and a bookmobile taking its place.

"During the community meetings that happened after the flooding where discussions happened with the community on how use the AB 102 funding, this surfaced as one of the priorities for the community," County of Monterey Chief of Facilities Florence Kabwasa-Green said.

In the restoration, the county will focus on cleaning up flood debris, replacing the HVAC system and making needed repairs to the exteriors and interiors of the buildings.

The project will also see the addition of stairs and ADA lifts for access to the second and third floors and an outdoor area.

The Mansion is also the only building Pajaro the county owns.

"In Pajaro, there really is no county owned facility. This is it. This is the main county owned facility. And by refurbishing the second and third floors, we're gonna have a number of community space available," Kabwasa-Green said.

The estimated cost of restoration is set at $7.1 million and set to begin in May.