City of Powell River’s library open house earlier this month generated 341 comment sheets, with 204 favouring the Willingdon South proposal as the location for a new library.
“The results of this event have shown a clear preference for the location on the Willingdon South site,” said Geoff Allan, from InFocus Facilitation, who served as the facilitator at the June 9, 2014 open house at Dwight Hall.
Allan, reporting to the Powell River City Council’s committee of the whole on Thursday, June 19, said there were 52 comment sheets preferring the Powell River Recreation Complex site, 78 favouring neither option and seven respondents were undecided.
“It is important to say at the outset that all of the comments received, regardless of their preference, were well presented, well thought out, eloquent and motivated by a real concern or a passion for their community and the range of issues therein,” Allan said.
For Willingdon South proponents, comments suggest that those who prefer this location and design place a high priority and value on the opportunity created by this project to make an important statement about the value the city places on culture, literacy and the arts, according to Allan.
Responses preferring the recreation complex were based on looking for a more practical, prudent, fiscally responsible approach to a new library, he said. The most common reason for this preference was the rejection of the Willingdon South location, primarily based on the desire to maintain the park and honour the covenant.
Allan said the respondents rejecting both locations commented mostly on the expense of the library being excessive in both cases when there are so many empty buildings in town.
“There is an expectation that other choices should be offered to the public which are of lower cost,” Allan said.
The undecided comments reflected the struggle that some citizens have with balancing the need for a library with the need for other civic infrastructure, such as fire halls, plus water and sewer facilities.
Allan said comments gathered at the open house suggest there is a perception that the Willingdon South and Powell River Recreation Complex options offered were the only ones considered for a new library.
“Reports available on the public library website indicate that 18 sites were considered, rated and three were proposed to city council, from which they chose Willingdon South,” Allan said. “For this many people to not be aware of this fact suggests that the process and methodology used in selecting sites for library has to be better communicated to the community.”
The petition presented to the city regarding Willingdon South, although not mentioned specifically on the whole in the comments, still exists as a strong undercurrent behind many remarks, he said, adding that it affects public perception of this project.
“It would appear that the status and validity of the petition has to be addressed or better communicated, as there continues to be uncertainty in the comments, and therefore, the community around the strength of that lobby.”
There were also queries from the questionnaire respondents about a library referendum and the consequences of library construction on city taxes.
Councillor Chris McNaughton asked about the split between city and rural respondents. Allan said the majority of responses were from city residents.
He added the study was not conclusive in a scientific way, “this is more empirical in the way it was gathered and put together.”
