Crossroads Village Shopping Centre representatives turned a page in the search for the new Powell River Public Library, offering the old Brick building at a substantial saving over other proposals.
Kevin Sigouin, spokesperson for the shopping centre, said the owners of the property were offering the City of Powell River a turnkey library, including renovation of the building and sale of the property, for $4.9 million. The Crossroads Village contingent also indicated there is a $150,000 per year revenue stream from the upstairs tenants that the city would accrue if it purchased the building for library purposes.
Sigouin made the pitch to the city’s committee of the whole on Thursday, September 4.
The property, near the corner of Alberni Street and Joyce Avenue, encompasses 17,430 square feet of ground floor space. There is about 14,000 square feet of office space on the existing second floor. It is currently fully occupied and includes an additional meeting room of approximately 2,200 square feet. Sigouin said this meeting room space could be made available to the public. The entire second floor is fully accessible and is serviced by an elevator.
Sigouin said Crossroads Village has designed a new exterior and interior look for this property in order to accommodate a new library. “We have provided an estimate for the project to confirm costs,” he said. “We will provide a fixed-price contract. The contract includes such key items as the sale of this piece of property, known as the Brick building; both the main floor and the second floor, for a total price of $4.9 million.”
Sigouin said the price includes the exterior of the building being finished and updated. It also includes a $688,000 allowance for furniture, fixtures and equipment that would be included for the library.
Wes Friesen, from Points West Architecture, said this is an important building for the city and needs to be recognized. He said its development would involve enlarging the profile by extending the features with stone and heavy timbers vertically so that the building is more noticeable from the street. The most important part is the entry. With a 42-foot high ceiling, it would be a dramatic entry to this space.
Using an existing building for a library is the greenest option, he said. It’s functional as it is but improvements would be made, he added.
He said the parking in this location is ample and there is the opportunity to provide twice as much parking as currently required by the city.
In terms of seismic engineering, a structural engineer has reviewed the existing building. “In its present condition, it is nearly ideal in its design,” Friesen said. “It is wood, flexible and well-designed for that purpose.
“Even above that, we have included in the proposal some seismic upgrades using cross-bracing. This is a very safe building.”
When asked about the $300,000 contingency fund that has been built into the proposal, Crossroads Village building contractor Fred Formosa said if it is not required, the library could be delivered for less than the $4.9-million figure.
Councillor Chris McNaughton said he has been supportive of using vacant commercial space because he has anticipated using an existing building would be less expensive than building a new one at Willingdon South. He thanked the proponents for their “generous offer.”
Mayor Dave Formosa said the delegation was not in council chambers by mistake. “They all live here,” he said. “They are all very successful people in this community. I can tell you that this purchase is worth more than for what it’s being offered.
“I know this is a gesture from local people who have done well, who want to give back to their community. I want to consider that.”
Formosa said with this proposal, approximately $2 million could be financed, leaving a balance of $2.6 to $2.9 million to complete the project. He said that if the city looked at an increased tax to Catalyst Paper Corporation, such as $500,000 a year over five years, the city could finance the $2.6 million and not have to put up a lot of tax money.
The matter has been referred to city staff to collate all of the information presented and report back to council.
