Powell River Public Library has issued a request for proposals for architectural services to prepare a design concept for a new library.
In the spring, City of Powell River council selected the vacant lot on the corner of Marine Avenue and Abbotsford Street, known as the old arena site, as the preferred location for a new library. The new library committee, which is comprised of library and city staff and board members, then issued a request for proposals for a project manager and subsequently hired MHPM Project Managers, Inc.
The successful architectural firm will work with the community to create the design for a new library, said Charlie Kregel, chief librarian. “It will be based on a collective community vision with maximum input.”
The architect will visit Powell River several times to work with the community in a series of public meetings at which the architect will design the library concept, said Gerald Longson, MHPM’s representative working on the project. “To share more of the work on this important community project, MHPM is developing a web page where all project information will be published including designs in progress,” he said. “This website will be released later this month.”
The design will flow from the new library requirements described in the library board’s needs assessment, published in 2009 as one of the signal pieces in the board’s planning process. Having the design concept completed means the library will be ready to apply for funding opportunities that become available, said Kregel. “It’s great to be working on these next steps toward a new Powell River library,” he said. “It’s the idea of a creative process which engages the community, the possibility of the community producing its own library design that really has me excited. After all, it will be Powell River’s library. Having everyone create it just makes sense.”
The new library committee expects to select an architect in late October and to schedule a series of interactive community design meetings to begin in November.
Information about the new library project can be found on the library’s website.
