As Atherton readies to go out for new bids on its civic center project in early 2019, it's also preparing its buildings, doing everything from clearing out the library to labeling old items for auction.

The town came up with a plan to cut costs after bids for the project came in 40 percent higher than expected in June.

Now, workers are clearing out the library, which moved to a temporary location earlier this month to make way for a new $22.8 million library. Staff tagged everything from doors to water fountains to send off to auction, said Marty Hanneman, Atherton's project manager.

Library staff built shelves, set up the 3D printer and shelved books in preparation for the temporary library's opening on Monday, Oct. 22. The temporary library is housed in a portable next to the former library building.

A portable that was part of the old permit division complex had water leaking from the ceilings, but the water is now cleared out, Hanneman said. The town will try to auction the portable, he said. The town intended for the permit division to stay in trailers temporarily, but they portables have now been used for 20 or so years, he added.

"To ask public servants to work in those conditions is deplorable," said Sandy Levison, campaign co-chair for Atherton Now, a group founded to raise funds for a new civic center. "I don't think people know how bad it is."

The police department, which was built in the 1930s, will be the last building to undergo construction if new civic center plans go forward, Hanneman said. This is because moving the department is difficult with all of its communications devices, he said. The building is not an adequate workspace for its 21 police officers and it's not up to code, he said.

The plan to cut costs to the civic center project includes removing the new council chambers from the project unless the town comes up with enough funds to build it. Once redesign plans are complete, they will go before the City Council for approval and authorization to rebid the civic center project.

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