Jeez! What's with all the pessimism? What's wrong with having great dreams, and waiting and pushing them until they come to fruition? The library they are talking about is exactly what this city needs. Sure, maybe not everyone uses the library, but the space around the building if designed well would become a new public plaza that would be full of people. Think of the library in Vancouver. We could have something of that caliber. I truly believe that.
Here's todays Herald article.
Sneak peek at library concept
Public meeting reveals proposed plans for new facility
By DAVENE JEFFREY Staff Reporter
Tue. Jun 3 - 6:57 PM
Council will get a look later this month at what the public wants in a new central library.
And it appears that folks who use the present main branch on Spring Garden Road want lots — lots of books, lots of seating, lots of meeting rooms and lots and lots of computers.
The proposed concept for the new library was revealed to the public Monday evening in a meeting room in the Lord Nelson Hotel.
"This is a building that is going to be built for the long term," said urban planner Robert Marshall of the international HOK Planning Group.
He could not say how much the proposed new facility and services would cost, but a capital cost report should be ready to present to council at the same time as the library concept report, he said.
Besides being a sustainable and fully accessible building and a landmark, the new library would have an interior designed to be flexible to meet future needs, Mr. Marshall said.
Most of the 50-odd citizens who attended the meeting appeared to be eager for the many new features and services the proposal calls for. Word of parking space for baby strollers drew a laugh and a round of applause from the crowd.
But at least two pragmatists in the audience warned the planning team that they had better have a scaled-down backup plan.
"I don’t want to be pessimistic . . . but this may be a bridge too far for the present council, with several councillors who never, ever will cross that bridge," Alan Ruffman said.
Many councillors who represent districts off the peninsula will never OK the kind of money the new library, at more than 100,000 square feet, would likely call for, Mr. Ruffman said.
A retired man, who after the meeting refused to give his name, urged the team to maintain the integrity of the design. But picking up on Mr. Ruffman’s idea of a Plan B, the man urged the group to consider Plan E and Plan F, too.
Planning student Jeff Haggett urged the naysayers to start thinking differently.
"It’s time for better, now," he said.
"I’m encouraging not just people who are trying to be realistic, but also those of us who want to see Halifax become better and improve for the sake of the people, of ourselves and our families, to work together as an entire municipal district in supporting this plan’s vision," Mr. Haggett said after the meeting.
"They have shown us something that the whole town can get excited about."
The public consultation process began in February and included meetings and surveys. Mr. Haggett said he has the sense that the library administration and the HOK Planning Group have listened to what people want in the building.
"I’m inspired," he said.
The group will present its library concept to council at its regular meeting on June 24. The proposal is also available online on the Halifax Public Libraries website.
(
djeffrey@herald.ca)