Regina library board wants new branch built downtown on site of existing building

After years of studies and debates, the chair of the Regina Public Library's board of directors says it's time to construct a new building for its Central Library branch.

Sean Quinlan, chair of the library's board, gave an update to city council's executive committee on Wednesday on its plans to renew the Central branch building.

"The best way to renew Central Library is to replace it with a new one on the corner of 12th and Lorne, where we've been for 110 years," Quinlan told the committee.

The decision on whether to build a new library will be put to the library's board at its Sept. 27 public meeting.

Conversations around the future of the downtown library branch have been ongoing for years. In 2009, the city included the branch in plans for a possible community hub, and a study outlining the need for a new Central Library was released in 2012. Since then, there have been a facility analysis, requests for funding and the creation of a development plan.

The redevelopment was originally supposed to be discussed at the executive committee's Aug. 10 meeting, but that discussion was tabled until Wednesday's meeting.

According to a presentation prepared for the committee, the issues that need to be addressed at the Central branch include an inadequate heating system and aging electrical infrastructure.

The concrete in the building is also deteriorating, the ceiling has asbestos and there are unspecified safety issues, the report says.

The Central Library was built to serve a population of 110,000, but Regina's population is more than double that, at 249,000 people, according to the latest census.

Quinlan said Regina Public Library estimates it would cost about $50 million for building system replacement and renovation to bring the building up to code, adding that doesn't include making any improvements to the space or structural changes to meet community needs. 

"That's just keeping the doors open. An investment of this magnitude for a building that old and that small is not a practical investment."

Preserve existing building: advocacy group

Joanne Havelock, representing the Friends of the Regina Library group, questioned the $50-million price tag, saying the last detailed cost figures, from 2015, were $28.5 million to upgrade the existing building.

Havelock said instead of tearing down the current library, they should refurbish it.

The Central Library building "is an excellent example of modernist architecture, which is something that was developed in the 20th century to reflect modern ideas, and we really believe that this building is something that should be preserved," Havelock said.

"I think that preserving heritage is part of preserving the knowledge that libraries are about … and we really need to keep that in mind."

Other options, like adding a third or fourth storey to the current library or adding a tower on the west side, should be considered, she said.

But Mayor Sandra Masters said the cost to save the existing library would be high.

Engineering and architectural analysis has suggested that adding more space at the existing branch "would require essentially an entire superstructure to go around the existing building, which may or may not cost more than building new," she said.

The city's recently formed "catalyst committee" will look into the viability of a new library.

The committee, which city council's executive committee voted to create in July, is named after proposals dubbed "catalyst projects" because they're meant to generate growth and development in the city.

Over the next three or four months, the committee will take on public consultations, Masters said, "so that stakeholders, user groups [and] residents can go give ideas and opinions and weigh in" on catalyst projects, "the library being one of them."

Masters said the committee is expected to have a report for council early in the new year, which will include discussion of the library.

"So we've got some indication the library is going to continue doing some of the work that they are required to do, but that it'll participate in that large discussion around some of these major facilities needed in our downtown core," she said.

'Some urgency about this': councillor

Quinlan said the role of libraries has changed since the current building was built in 1962. 

"The library's purpose is to provide community services, spaces, collections, and technologies to inspire discovery, learning, and connection," he said.

"A new Central Library will offer Regina a beautifully designed, sustainable building with room for gatherings, cultural celebrations, workspaces, programs, and of course a wide collection of books and resources."

Ward 2 Coun. Bob Hawkins said it's time to make a decision.

"I feel there's now some urgency about this," Hawkins said, adding the federal and provincial government have infrastructure grants and programs available right now.

"I'm hoping that plans will be put before council that enables it to consider not just any major public infrastructure in the downtown area in isolation, but look at them all to see how they can activate and rejuvenate our whole downtown."