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  #101  
Old Posted Nov 20, 2008, 12:22 AM
Halifax Hillbilly Halifax Hillbilly is offline
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Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian View Post
I couldn't believe how bad that was. Grow a pair Mayor Kelly.
Quote for truth. A couple of weeks ago he said he'd take control of council - fat chance. Kelly is less of a leader than Stephane Dion.
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  #102  
Old Posted Nov 20, 2008, 1:41 AM
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McClusky should be put out to pasture...Halifax Hillbilly said...."Kelly is less of a leader than Stephane Dion" couldn't have said it better myself
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  #103  
Old Posted Nov 20, 2008, 2:10 PM
JET JET is offline
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In Gloria's defence (not that she really needs someone to defend her); what she said is going from $26 mil to $45 mil is hard to support. She said: build a branch on the new site in Halifax, and for the main (administartive) library use the alderney location; which is a good size, and you are correct a very nice library. The proposal for the "cultural centre" just seems like too much. It's a library. They may not need much more than the size of the keshen goodman, if the admin is some other location. JET
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  #104  
Old Posted Nov 20, 2008, 7:27 PM
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Did she also go on about how back in her day you could go to the "talkies" for a nickel?

This library has been discussed forever. During that time, inflation has occurred. The HRM's tax base has also grown. The city's capacity to pay for $45M in 2008 is probably about the same as its capacity to pay for $26M in 1996 - directly comparing the figures while ignoring the context is just wrong, though it's par for the course at council.

What is wrong with building a "cultural centre" downtown, where a hugely disproportionate amount of the HRM's money comes from but where very little is spent? Most parts of the HRM have community centres that proportionately were much more expensive to develop.
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  #105  
Old Posted Nov 20, 2008, 9:14 PM
hfx_chris hfx_chris is offline
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Originally Posted by JET View Post
In Gloria's defence (not that she really needs someone to defend her); what she said is going from $26 mil to $45 mil is hard to support. She said: build a branch on the new site in Halifax, and for the main (administartive) library use the alderney location; which is a good size, and you are correct a very nice library.
Ah, then I take back my comments about her. Alderney Gate is already home to the administrative office and essentially the 'main' branch for the region. I didn't think there were any plans to remove the administrative side from Alderney Gate and move it to Halifax.
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  #106  
Old Posted Nov 20, 2008, 10:27 PM
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great, so if we "give our head a shake" like Gloria told us to we'll end up with a brand new second rate library with plenty of parking and yet more "green space" on what could have been a pivotal development opportunity for central Halifax.....We have a massive piece of prime land and that's the best we can come up with? At the very least we should be pulling for a "cultural center" along the lines of what Keith P described, after all downtown is long over due for some major investment, just ask the Downtown Halifax Business Commission. But I guess we'll have to be resigned to our fate.....McCluskey pinching our pennies for us
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  #107  
Old Posted Nov 20, 2008, 11:33 PM
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If anyone can blow this opportunity it is the same old collection of clowns that have been dragging this town through the mud for years now. It has been well established that the corner of Spring Garden and Queen should house a signature building for Halifax. The fact that it is a library is simply a bonus for the library supporters. People like Gloria simply don't and never will "get it". This is prime real estate and Halifax is long over due for a major capital investment. There is no zoo, no aquarium, no theatre district, no sports facilities & no possibility of getting any, the museums are very small town, the library system is second rate, the science centre would fit in most people's kitchen, no appreciation for our valued historic buildings, zero emphasis on quality design, no team trying to bring events/games to the city and this gaggle of clowns has the gall to suggest we should scale back the new library!! Rebuild the capitol theatre and combine it with the new library......will this town ever do anything right in our lifetime??
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Last edited by Empire; Nov 20, 2008 at 11:46 PM.
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  #108  
Old Posted Nov 21, 2008, 12:21 AM
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I'm thinking a couple of those mobile library buses on that lot and let Bud the Spud park there for the retail component and were good!
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  #109  
Old Posted Jan 6, 2009, 3:13 AM
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Not sure if this report has made an appearance in the thread: http://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca...ort-june08.pdf

I am not sure exactly where the project sits at this point. More news is supposed to come in "the Spring", which I guess means anything from March to 2012 or so.

I wish things would move along faster, but the requirements seem on the mark to me: 110,000 square feet, $40-50M budget, open 7 days a week with much more seating and hopefully lots of atrium space and sheltered outdoor seating. There's also the potential to turn the tired looking grass/tree space in front into a really nice public space on a major corner.

A few weeks ago I explored the Seattle library and it is a pretty spectacular building. Halifax doesn't have Microsoft billionaires sitting around waiting to put their names on plaques, but it can more than afford a quality building with decent modern design that can be a really popular public indoor space... something the city currently does not have and sorely needs.
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  #110  
Old Posted Jan 6, 2009, 1:02 PM
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Originally Posted by someone123 View Post
Not sure if this report has made an appearance in the thread: http://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca...ort-june08.pdf
Yes, it was discussed at length back in the summer.

Quote:
I wish things would move along faster, but the requirements seem on the mark to me: 110,000 square feet, $40-50M budget, open 7 days a week with much more seating and hopefully lots of atrium space and sheltered outdoor seating. There's also the potential to turn the tired looking grass/tree space in front into a really nice public space on a major corner.
Not to resurrect all the same arguments from 6 montrhs ago but I am still not at all comfortable with this. It is a monument to Judith Hare and incorporates a lot of things -- not architecturally, but services -- that will be very expensive for the city to sustain and operate on an ongoing basis. The process by which they came up with the vision for this was largely a sham dictated by Hare and her supporters -- the immediate dismissal of any commercial component other than the persistent "cafe" concept (with a Starbucks on one corner and Second Cup on the other) is ridiculous. That corner is the best retail site in Eastern Canada, and a retailer could contribute significantly to the long-term funding of the library if they were allowed to participate. For example a Chapters would be a natural fit -- a place to buy the books you have just discovered plus every Chapters has a cafe in it -- yet it was not even considered seriously. Why? Because the bunch that were consulted don't like Chapters, or at least can't admit that they like Chapters, being required to support places like Frog Hollow instead since they are more virtuous somehow. The whole thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
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  #111  
Old Posted Jan 6, 2009, 10:35 PM
hfx_chris hfx_chris is offline
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Can you imagine where the world would be if every good development and idea was stopped for fear that it was nothing more than a monument to somebody's ego?
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  #112  
Old Posted Jan 6, 2009, 10:52 PM
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Originally Posted by hfx_chris View Post
Can you imagine where the world would be if every good development and idea was stopped for fear that it was nothing more than a monument to somebody's ego?
If it is private money building it I have no problem with the concept. But these are public funds, and Hare is using this as a way to expand the role of the Library significantly. I have no problem with the building, but I have a big problem with the direction she has chosen and the way she has gone about trying to justify it. Public funds need to be spent wisely and I am not at all sure that adding a bunch of librarians and support staff to the payroll is a good idea right now. And I am more than upset with the way that she has hijacked the site and ruled out any retail component.
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  #113  
Old Posted Jan 7, 2009, 3:16 PM
hfx_chris hfx_chris is offline
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But these are public funds, and Hare is using this as a way to expand the role of the Library significantly.
Back to the old argument.. thankfully there are other people in this world that believe a library can be much more than just a dusty room with books.
Quote:
Public funds need to be spent wisely and I am not at all sure that adding a bunch of librarians and support staff to the payroll is a good idea right now.
Why not?
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  #114  
Old Posted May 16, 2009, 5:26 PM
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New library on slow track
Former city hall staffer says turf war has hurt project that’s been talked about for 12 years
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE Staff Reporter
Sat. May 16 - 5:20 AM

This is a story you won’t find on a bookshelf containing such titles as Fast-tracked Municipal Projects.

The long, slow move toward building a proposed new public library in downtown Halifax is an example of petty ward politics clouding the big picture of municipal growth, says a downtown business advocate and former city hall staffer.

Bernie Smith, of the Spring Garden Area Business Association, said Friday a central library to replace the venerable main branch across from Halifax provincial court has been talked about for more than a decade.

He said his organization supports a new library, proposed for the corner of Spring Garden Road and Queen Street, but realizes such a project isn’t going to happen any time soon.

Indeed, it’s been discussed at Halifax city hall for about 12 years and the planned site for building is currently a well-used parking lot.

The proposed project’s price tag has climbed over the years — it’s now around $55 million — and that has a few regional councillors nervous.

Mr. Smith, a former finance director with the old city of Halifax, said while cost is a concern, it’s the little turf wars around the council chamber that are more disconcerting.

"People are taking narrow visions of their own particular area’s needs, and not taking a wider view of the collective needs of the sort of general good," he told The Chronicle Herald. "Everybody’s got their own vested interests."

Library system managers have been complaining for years about the condition of the main branch, which would probably need millions of dollars in upgrades should a new one not be built.

"The building can no longer support the library’s needs in terms of programming, technology, health and safety, security of the collections or universal access," the municipality’s website says.

The proposed replacement will be a multi-use centre that could include meeting rooms and a small theatre for community lectures and other events.

Mr. Smith said the library issue, which has sparked opposition from councillors representing districts outside peninsular Halifax, is a symptom of the general malaise of municipal politics in metro.

"The whole thing is becoming very much ward politics, rather than government of the whole entity," he said, referring to Halifax Regional Municipality. Mr. Smith said this is a large part of the reason the library project is proceeding at a snail’s pace.

Mayor Peter Kelly disagrees with Mr. Smith’s opinion. He said part of the delay has been finding the proper location. Mr. Kelly said council, in general, supports the proposed development, which he acknowledged has had "funding challenges."

The mayor couldn’t say when construction would start but is hopeful it might begin by late next year.

"We are progressing forward. We have clarified a lot of the issues at hand, but what we haven’t gotten to is a final design," said Mr. Kelly.

The city is moving ahead with pre-construction work. The draft 2009-10 gross operating budget includes $2 million for detailed design work, Mr. Kelly said.

Regional council is to debate the proposed $711.3-million budget, which was released Tuesday, later this month. The municipality’s draft capital budget is $151 million.

Budget talks are to be wrapped up by June 2.
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  #115  
Old Posted May 16, 2009, 9:46 PM
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I suspect if there were a book entitled "Fast-tracked Municipal Projects" in the HRM it would be pretty short.
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  #116  
Old Posted May 17, 2009, 5:21 PM
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Waye Mason Waye Mason is offline
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I think they should turn the OLD library, the current library, into a Chapters. I know when Chapters opened in downtown Montreal they helped the strong indie book stores and killed the weak, which, heck, that is how the market is supposed to work.

All I know is my mom is never going to shop at Frog Hollow, but she lives near Dal and shops at Chapters, so a Chapters downtown means she might not drive to bloody Bayer's Lake.
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  #117  
Old Posted May 17, 2009, 6:31 PM
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ooops double post
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  #118  
Old Posted Aug 18, 2009, 10:36 AM
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Maybe it's not news to some people but I've heard that the city has finally issued expressions of interest to architectural firms who would want to design this.
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  #119  
Old Posted Aug 18, 2009, 4:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Waye Mason View Post
I think they should turn the OLD library, the current library, into a Chapters.
I don't know if they can. It has been explained to me that the current building is a war memorial. As such, it is protected.... and I doubt making it a Chapters would be acceptable. though, I'm not sure how the addition was deemed acceptable. Perhaps only the facade counts?
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  #120  
Old Posted Aug 18, 2009, 4:30 PM
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Maybe it's not news to some people but I've heard that the city has finally issued expressions of interest to architectural firms who would want to design this.
The tender is available on the HRM website. Here is some a summary of what they are looking for in a library (taken from the doc):

2.1 Guiding Principles
+ A civic landmark and a source of pride and inspiration for all residents.
+A centerpiece of the Capital District, contributing to the economic revitalization of the downtown and sparking cultural and learning activities.
+An accessible, bright, and welcoming destination for adults, youth, families and newcomers providing opportunities for civic and social interaction as well as quiet individual use.
+ An environmentally friendly, sustainable building.
+ A rich resource centre for knowledge, learning and personal growth.
+ An asset to the branch libraries by providing resources which assist them in being more responsive to local community needs.
+ An adaptable and flexible space that will be able to meet the changing needs of users and accommodate new innovative technologies and new demands

The selected proponent will need to offer:
+ A high level of sustainable design – delivering at minimum a building which meets or
exceeds LEED Silver certification requirements
+ At least 116,000 square feet of net floor space, which in addition to meeting the programming
requirements of the Library, includes 7000 square feet of ground floor retail space.
+ A parking solution which takes into account the redevelopment plan for adjacent municipally
held lands.
+ A number of office levels, to be determined.
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