A City of Powell River councillor is bringing the issue of the location for a new library back to council.
Councillor Chris McNaughton brought forward a notice of motion at the January 17 council meeting. He said he intends on making a motion at the February 21 council meeting to ask the Powell River Public Library board to identify a second location for consideration for a new library.
“A good example is the former Brick site, although that’s an example, where there is space available,” McNaughton said. “Council has articulated a number of times, including through a strategic planning process, that we want to be thoughtful and live within our means. We’re concerned about economic revitalization, so I think that it’s important that we have that discussion at the council table.”
The Brick was located in a ground-level, 17,400-square-foot space at Crossroads Village Shopping centre on Alberni Street, a space that is now available.
The library board has proposed construction of a new, 15,000-square-foot library, estimated to cost $9.5 million, on the vacant lot located on the corner of Marine Avenue and Abbotsford Street, known as the old arena site. Council passed a motion in March 2011 selecting the site as the preferred location for a new library. At the time, the space at Crossroads Village was not available.
Council’s motion triggered a campaign against the location, called Save Willingdon Beach.
The last motion council passed on the issue was in July 2012, when it voted to hold a referendum on the question of building a new library before approving the construction of a new library. The motion also expressed support for the library board’s planning process and encouraged the community to support the board’s fundraising efforts. Councillor Myrna Leishman alone voted against the motion, because she said the city should hold a referendum sooner rather than later.
