Ādisōke [Ottawa's New Central Library] | U/C

[rocketphish]

Open house on proposed library draws impassioned crowd

Bruce Deachman, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 18, 2017 | Last Updated: January 18, 2017 10:53 PM EST

If libraries did as well as town hall meetings about them, we’d be building one on every block.

More than 150 impassioned citizens filled the council chambers at city hall Wednesday night to discuss plans for Ottawa’s new central library. The open house, hosted by councillors Catherine McKenney, David Chernushenko, Mathieu Fleury, Tobi Nussbaum and Jeff Leiper, attracted a crowd that skewed in the senior range.

Eighty per cent or more, judging by a show of hands, lived in McKenney’s Somerset ward, most arriving by foot, public transit or bicycle, with not a single person claiming to support the current recommended site at 557 Wellington Street, in LeBreton Flats just west of Bronson Avenue.

On hand, too, was a panel of three speakers, including retired architect Tony Griffiths, who commanded the greatest applause of the evening when told the audience that “I believe the site at 557 Wellington is too remote from the city’s core. I feel it should be rejected out of hand.”

“This building,” he added, “could be the jewel in the crown of the nation’s capital.”

And this, after all, was the central issue dominating the discussion: whether the proposed site, which would see the Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada share a $168-million, four-storey, 216,000 square-foot super-library at the site just west of the downtown core, or whether a central library should be more, well, central.

Panelist Elizabeth Kristjansson spoke eloquently about the significance of a library as a community hub, while Ecology Ottawa executive director Graham Saul reminded everyone of the importance of access and walkability of such institutions.

“We think libraries are incredibly important,” said Joyce Crago, who attended the meeting with her 10-year-old niece, Madelyn Haines. “And the site that’s been suggested is not appropriate for people who are low-income or who are disabled. They’re not going to be able to get there, and that’s not appropriate for the capital city.”

Crago further added that she believed the recommendation regarding the new location — the only site among the dozen considered that is owned by the city — was steered by a desire to sell condominiums on LeBreton Flats. “And that’s rubbish.”

McKenney, who sits on the city’s library board, said that her main concern regarding a site for the new facility is that it optimizes the library’s use. “I want the library to be located where it’s going to be used the most, and I believe that that’s where most people live, where most people work, and where most people visit. There are more than 100,000 office workers in the central core (where the current library is located, at Metcalfe and Slater). And 24 per cent of current library users come from their offices – more than 500 people a day. But will they walk, can they walk, this far?

“Some 20 million people a year go to the Rideau Centre, so we have to ask: what is the central part, what is the busiest part of our city, every single day? And I believe that’s where a central library should be located.”

Others in the room clearly echoed that sentiment, as the Q&A segment of the evening, which was short on actual questions and even shorter on answers, saw no lack of emotional pleas to keep the library between Bronson and the Rideau Canal. Many favoured the notion of building the new library in Confederation Park.

“I can’t see how anybody would not support (Confederation Park),” said Theo Geraets, emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Ottawa, who only decided to attend the open house after reading an opinion piece in the Citizen supporting the site. “This is an issue that is important to the future of the city, and this is by far a preferred choice for the public.”

Whether the opinions of those on hand will sway any forthcoming decisions is uncertain. Officials from the Ottawa Public Library declined an invitation to attend Wednesday’s meeting.

“But I want to hear from folks,” said McKenney. “This is not my library; this is everybody’s library.”

[email protected]

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/open-house-on-proposed-library-draws-impassioned-crowd

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Open house on proposed library draws impassioned crowd

Bruce Deachman, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 18, 2017 | Last Updated: January 18, 2017 10:53 PM EST

If libraries did as well as town hall meetings about them, we’d be building one on every block.

More than 150 impassioned citizens filled the council chambers at city hall Wednesday night to discuss plans for Ottawa’s new central library. The open house, hosted by councillors Catherine McKenney, David Chernushenko, Mathieu Fleury, Tobi Nussbaum and Jeff Leiper, attracted a crowd that skewed in the senior range.

Eighty per cent or more, judging by a show of hands, lived in McKenney’s Somerset ward, most arriving by foot, public transit or bicycle, with not a single person claiming to support the current recommended site at 557 Wellington Street, in LeBreton Flats just west of Bronson Avenue.

On hand, too, was a panel of three speakers, including retired architect Tony Griffiths, who commanded the greatest applause of the evening when told the audience that “I believe the site at 557 Wellington is too remote from the city’s core. I feel it should be rejected out of hand.”

“This building,” he added, “could be the jewel in the crown of the nation’s capital.”

And this, after all, was the central issue dominating the discussion: whether the proposed site, which would see the Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada share a $168-million, four-storey, 216,000 square-foot super-library at the site just west of the downtown core, or whether a central library should be more, well, central.

Panelist Elizabeth Kristjansson spoke eloquently about the significance of a library as a community hub, while Ecology Ottawa executive director Graham Saul reminded everyone of the importance of access and walkability of such institutions.

“We think libraries are incredibly important,” said Joyce Crago, who attended the meeting with her 10-year-old niece, Madelyn Haines. “And the site that’s been suggested is not appropriate for people who are low-income or who are disabled. They’re not going to be able to get there, and that’s not appropriate for the capital city.”

Crago further added that she believed the recommendation regarding the new location — the only site among the dozen considered that is owned by the city — was steered by a desire to sell condominiums on LeBreton Flats. “And that’s rubbish.”

McKenney, who sits on the city’s library board, said that her main concern regarding a site for the new facility is that it optimizes the library’s use. “I want the library to be located where it’s going to be used the most, and I believe that that’s where most people live, where most people work, and where most people visit. There are more than 100,000 office workers in the central core (where the current library is located, at Metcalfe and Slater). And 24 per cent of current library users come from their offices – more than 500 people a day. But will they walk, can they walk, this far?

“Some 20 million people a year go to the Rideau Centre, so we have to ask: what is the central part, what is the busiest part of our city, every single day? And I believe that’s where a central library should be located.”

Others in the room clearly echoed that sentiment, as the Q&A segment of the evening, which was short on actual questions and even shorter on answers, saw no lack of emotional pleas to keep the library between Bronson and the Rideau Canal. Many favoured the notion of building the new library in Confederation Park.

“I can’t see how anybody would not support (Confederation Park),” said Theo Geraets, emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Ottawa, who only decided to attend the open house after reading an opinion piece in the Citizen supporting the site. “This is an issue that is important to the future of the city, and this is by far a preferred choice for the public.”

Whether the opinions of those on hand will sway any forthcoming decisions is uncertain. Officials from the Ottawa Public Library declined an invitation to attend Wednesday’s meeting.

“But I want to hear from folks,” said McKenney. “This is not my library; this is everybody’s library.”

[email protected]

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/open-house-on-proposed-library-draws-impassioned-crowd

"So lets all go out there, spend $500M instead of $168M to buy a tower in the 'core', tear it down, and build a library we can all be proud of and make it the jewel of the city's crown and disregard the jewel we already have in parliament and then we'll build it in the 'core' and disregard the 8000 residential units going up 800 metres away and next to a f*cking senior's centre so what the hell is the argument about not being accessible all about anyways, YEAH *cheers* and we'll keep griping about lebreton and continue the stereotype that it's a wasteland and therefore why would we build there because we're not forward thinking *woohoo*. Then *sigh* we don't have to actually go there because nobody goes to libraries anymore anyways! Yeah! Pat on the back for us! yeah!"

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

"So lets all go out there, spend $500M instead of $168M to buy a tower in the 'core', tear it down, and build a library we can all be proud of and make it the jewel of the city's crown and disregard the jewel we already have in parliament and then we'll build it in the 'core' and disregard the 8000 residential units going up 800 metres away and next to a f*cking senior's centre so what the hell is the argument about not being accessible all about anyways, YEAH *cheers* and we'll keep griping about lebreton and continue the stereotype that it's a wasteland and therefore why would we build there because we're not forward thinking *woohoo*. Then *sigh* we don't have to actually go there because nobody goes to libraries anymore anyways! Yeah! Pat on the back for us! yeah!"

Actually more likely result is no library since we don't have $500 million and a PPP a la Lansdowne is toxic at this point. I would build a 4 story library on the current site and put condos or office space above it. Net cost maybe zero.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

"So lets all go out there, spend $500M instead of $168M to buy a tower in the 'core', tear it down, and build a library we can all be proud of and make it the jewel of the city's crown and disregard the jewel we already have in parliament and then we'll build it in the 'core' and disregard the 8000 residential units going up 800 metres away and next to a f*cking senior's centre so what the hell is the argument about not being accessible all about anyways, YEAH *cheers* and we'll keep griping about lebreton and continue the stereotype that it's a wasteland and therefore why would we build there because we're not forward thinking *woohoo*. Then *sigh* we don't have to actually go there because nobody goes to libraries anymore anyways! Yeah! Pat on the back for us! yeah!"

8,000 units that will be built when? And what about all the existing residents of Centretown if the new location is not convenient? Who cares about them? Is it only the new wealth being brought in by the developers that counts? I am not sure about the best location, but we should at least consider existing resident's opinions.

When amalgamation occurred, our neighbourhood was the only one that lost its public library branch. Do you not think this had a negative impact on our community? Yeah, the new branch is a 20 or 30 minute walk away. How many do you think do that? I would say close to zero. You might get a little more downtown who are willing to make that walk, but it is beyond a convenient walking distance for everyday use of any facility.

I do historic research and it is great right now when transit, the downtown public library, the land registry office, city hall and Rideau Centre are all within a few blocks of each other. I can go to multiple locations the same day easily. Moving the public library over west of Bronson means that it can't be done the same day. It doesn't matter about the subway, because if I am down on Elgin, it is a good walk away to closest subway station. I just won't bother.

[acottawa]

The size requirements are being driven by the LAC. The Ottawa Library identified a site on Lyon a few years ago that was closer to the LRT, closer to downtown workers, closer to downtown residents and still fairly accessible to people living on the flats. The mayor stopped that project for reasons that weren't particularly clear.

[AndyZagg]

Originally Posted by acottawa

The size requirements are being driven by the LAC. The Ottawa Library identified a site on Lyon a few years ago that was closer to the LRT, closer to downtown workers, closer to downtown residents and still fairly accessible to people living on the flats. The mayor stopped that project for reasons that weren't particularly clear.

Are you referring to the old Alterna land? My understanding is that when property owners realized that was the preferred site of the library they demanded a king's ransom.

I think one thing that has become obvious over the course of this process is that there are a few dozen elderly people in centretown and the golden triangle who love to walk to the library. And who can blame them? It must be very nice. It's not how we make multi-million dollar city building infrastructure decisions though. There will also be dozens of people who will walk to the new location. There is even a senior center right across the street.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

a PPP a la Lansdowne is toxic at this point.

Based on?

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by AndyZagg

Are you referring to the old Alterna land? My understanding is that when property owners realized that was the preferred site of the library they demanded a king's ransom.

I think one thing that has become obvious over the course of this process is that there are a few dozen elderly people in centretown and the golden triangle who love to walk to the library. And who can blame them? It must be very nice. It's not how we make multi-million dollar city building infrastructure decisions though. There will also be dozens of people who will walk to the new location. There is even a senior center right across the street.

But most of the downtown bus routes are leading to within walking distance of the existing branch. Most everybody using transit, will have the extra inconvenience of having to transfer to the subway. This will make a difference. The Good Companions Centre is just a very tiny component of downtown traffic.

What is driving this is the money that they will get from LAC for a joint facility and building on an easy site. Public accessibility is secondary. I remember the spokesperson for the Library Board when questioned about the location simply replied that it was within the parameters set by ??????

And we are talking about public convenience, our new transit system will have little or no transit that will stop at the front door of the library.

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

8,000 units that will be built when? And what about all the existing residents of Centretown if the new location is not convenient? Who cares about them? Is it only the new wealth being brought in by the developers that counts? I am not sure about the best location, but we should at least consider existing resident's opinions.

When amalgamation occurred, our neighbourhood was the only one that lost its public library branch. Do you not think this had a negative impact on our community? Yeah, the new branch is a 20 or 30 minute walk away. How many do you think do that? I would say close to zero. You might get a little more downtown who are willing to make that walk, but it is beyond a convenient walking distance for everyday use of any facility.

I do historic research and it is great right now when transit, the downtown public library, the land registry office, city hall and Rideau Centre are all within a few blocks of each other. I can go to multiple locations the same day easily. Moving the public library over west of Bronson means that it can't be done the same day. It doesn't matter about the subway, because if I am down on Elgin, it is a good walk away to closest subway station. I just won't bother.

I live in Centretown, at Bank and Nepean, and the new site will be pretty much the same distance as the old site. Plus its literally on the Laurier bike path extension.

You talk about ALL Centretown residents losing out. But really, it's half of Centretown where the library will be further, and half where it will be closer. Sure, Elgin street is far away, but what about everyone who lives in Chinatown, or the bottom of the hill at Rochester? Or anyone who lives West of Bank street?

I argue that more people live west of Bank than east of Bank, if we're talking JUST chinatown to the canal. There's a huge amount of residents who live in the square of Lyon/Bronson/Sparks/Gladstone who will end up within 5 minutes walk to the library, rather than government employees who have libraries in their suburban neighbourhoods.

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

But most of the downtown bus routes are leading to within walking distance of the existing branch. Most everybody using transit, will have the extra inconvenience of having to transfer to the subway. This will make a difference. The Good Companions Centre is just a very tiny component of downtown traffic.

What is driving this is the money that they will get from LAC for a joint facility and building on an easy site. Public accessibility is secondary. I remember the spokesperson for the Library Board when questioned about the location simply replied that it was within the parameters set by ??????

The transitway literally passes the doorstep of the new library branch. If you like busses, there will always be one travelling down Albert, even when the library is finished...

I just think that nobody who is complaining has set foot on the new site to see it. Once you see it, you understand why it's great. Its like there's some sort of invisible glass wall between Lisgar Collegiate and the Library site, where people are afraid they'll be sucked into a black hole, never to be seen again.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by AndyZagg

Are you referring to the old Alterna land? My understanding is that when property owners realized that was the preferred site of the library they demanded a king's ransom.

I think one thing that has become obvious over the course of this process is that there are a few dozen elderly people in centretown and the golden triangle who love to walk to the library. And who can blame them? It must be very nice. It's not how we make multi-million dollar city building infrastructure decisions though. There will also be dozens of people who will walk to the new location. There is even a senior center right across the street.

The city has unlimited power to expropriate sites (they expropriated the site next door for LRT construction) in which case there is a process to determine the value of the property.

There are also 100,000 downtown workers and 40,000 centretown residents for whom the main library is also the local branch. One solution is to build a centretown branch (nobody is expected to use the Toronto Reference Library or the National Library in Montreal as their local branch).

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

The transitway literally passes the doorstep of the new library branch. If you like busses, there will always be one travelling down Albert, even when the library is finished...

I just think that nobody who is complaining has set foot on the new site to see it. Once you see it, you understand why it's great. Its like there's some sort of invisible glass wall between Lisgar Collegiate and the Library site, where people are afraid they'll be sucked into a black hole, never to be seen again.

Pretty sure the transitway is closing when the LRT opens.

It is impossible to set foot on the new site, it is fenced off for LRT construction.

I'm not sure I follow your Lisgar reference.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

I live in Centretown, at Bank and Nepean, and the new site will be pretty much the same distance as the old site. .

It is literally twice as far (600m to current library, 1200m to new one).

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by acottawa

It is literally twice as far (600m to current library, 1200m to new one).

Sorry, i meant Ottawa Tech High School, the last stop before entering beautiful Lebreton Flats. Once you turn the corner at Albert and Bronson, you had better pack a day bag.

Sorry, to me 600m is what, a block and a half? 3 minutes walking? About 30 seconds on a bike. As someone who lives downtown, I'm used to walking from Centretown to uOttawa to the Market to Lansdowne and back in ONE DAY. I understand that some people aren't as mobile as me and everyone else under 50 who lives in Centretown, but its downtown, and its not a huge downtown.

Daydream with me, a Sunday morning in June:

I travel on my bike, down Bank to Laurier, down Laurier and across the dog park bike trail at Ottawa Tech, (about 5 minutes, maybe, with red lights) park my bike at the new library upper entrance, walk though and down the escalator to the atrium, grab a coffee/pastry in the atrium cafe, then head outside at the lower level, to lay in the grass next to the aqueduct, watch the white water training just downstream of the pump station, and listen to the babbling stream at Fleet Street. Maybe there'll be some sort of festival on the grounds of the library, at the very least a splash pad and large grassy area, or a new farmer's market for the development across the aqueduct. People flow in and out of the large library atrium out to the landscaped grounds alongside the aqueduct running to Pimisi Station, a short walk away.

When I'm done, I head to the new Farm Boy at Claridge across the heritage bridge on the Aqueduct, then head back home for dinner, another maybe 7 minutes with the slight uphill for 100m on Albert, through Bronson to get back to the Dog Park and back down Laurier on the bike path *downhill from dog park to Bank*.

[Aylmer]

FYI

600m = 6-7 minutes at a leisurely pace = 3.5 minutes on a bike


I agree that there should also be a local branch for Centretown (where local walking access is important), whereas the central library should prioritize elements such as rapid transit access, iconic architecture and a spacious interior with place to grow over time.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

Sorry, i meant Ottawa Tech High School, the last stop before entering beautiful Lebreton Flats. Once you turn the corner at Albert and Bronson, you had better pack a day bag.

Sorry, to me 600m is what, a block and a half? 3 minutes walking? About 30 seconds on a bike. As someone who lives downtown, I'm used to walking from Centretown to uOttawa to the Market to Lansdowne and back in ONE DAY. I understand that some people aren't as mobile as me and everyone else under 50 who lives in Centretown, but its downtown, and its not a huge downtown.

Daydream with me, a Sunday morning in June:

I travel on my bike, down Bank to Laurier, down Laurier and across the dog park bike trail at Ottawa Tech, (about 5 minutes, maybe, with red lights) park my bike at the new library upper entrance, walk though and down the escalator to the atrium, grab a coffee/pastry in the atrium cafe, then head outside at the lower level, to lay in the grass next to the aqueduct, watch the white water training just downstream of the pump station, and listen to the babbling stream at Fleet Street. Maybe there'll be some sort of festival on the grounds of the library, at the very least a splash pad and large grassy area, or a new farmer's market for the development across the aqueduct. People flow in and out of the large library atrium out to the landscaped grounds alongside the aqueduct running to Pimisi Station, a short walk away.

When I'm done, I head to the new Farm Boy at Claridge across the heritage bridge on the Aqueduct, then head back home for dinner, another maybe 7 minutes with the slight uphill for 100m on Albert, through Bronson to get back to the Dog Park and back down Laurier on the bike path *downhill from dog park to Bank*.

That's a nice trip, at least when the weather is nice. That isn't how a lot of people use the library. They pop in on their lunch hour, or they stop by while doing other errands.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by acottawa

That's a nice trip, at least when the weather is nice. That isn't how a lot of people use the library. They pop in on their lunch hour, or they stop by while doing other errands.

Or make effective of use of my time by trying to do more than one thing the same day on my relatively rare trips to downtown.

This is one issue I have with the greater plan for downtown, that everything is being spread out on an east-west axis. Distances between locations are going to be beyond even brisk walking distance. For example, the distance between the planned library and the Rideau Centre.

As far as I am concerned, the chosen location is out in no-man's land.

This is why we need a circulator streetcar downtown, to get us closer to more locations than the very few subway stops.

[AndyZagg]

Originally Posted by acottawa

That's a nice trip, at least when the weather is nice. That isn't how a lot of people use the library. They pop in on their lunch hour, or they stop by while doing other errands.

My experience and what I have been reading is that libraries are no longer pop in pick up a book pop in drop off a book anymore (and maybe never were). They are community spaces. Places for people to do research.

[MarkR]

Originally Posted by Aylmer

FYI

600m = 6-7 minutes at a leisurely pace = 3.5 minutes on a bike

Whaaaat? 3.5 mins. to go 600m on a bike? Maybe if you're walking the bike, or riding with flat tires.

The average healthy person can easily do 20 kph on a bike.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by AndyZagg

My experience and what I have been reading is that libraries are no longer pop in pick up a book pop in drop off a book anymore (and maybe never were). They are community spaces. Places for people to do research.

That is part of the clientele. I only use the library's electronic services myself, but my understanding from people I have talked to is that many library clients still use the book-lending service (certainly much of the space requirement for the new library is still tied to the this service) . I suspect many of those people have to pop in and pop out to pick up books they have reserved, drop off books, etc.

I think part of the issue is that many parts of Ottawa have an underdeveloped branch network so for many parts of the city the main branch is either the closest branch, the closest branch of any size, or easier to get to than the local branch.