During their regular meeting on May 4, Airdrie City council endorsed a plan for its new multi-use library.
According to a document submitted by Colliers Project Leaders (CPL), the company overseeing the project, the increasing pressure on the Airdrie Public Library (APL) in recent years has been the catalyst for the need of a new library. The City of Airdrie listed the design for a new library facility within its 2014 capital plans.
“In preparation of this work, APL conducted a Facility Needs Assessment to identify appropriate spaces that will address community needs and expectations for resources, programs and services,” the document stated.
With Airdrie’s significant population growth over the last decade – with much of that growth including families with young children – an updated library facility is a positive next step for Airdrie, according to the document.
The new library, which is anticipated to open in Airdrie’s old fire hall on Main Street in 2025, is currently in the initiation phase of the project.
In CPL’s submitted council document, the next steps – expected to be completed this month – include determining a schedule, building a communications plan, creating an initial budget breakdown and a consolidated project plan.
The next two years, according to the document, will be set aside for the library’s planning phase. Construction is not slated to start until 2023.
The project is set to cost approximately $44 million, with $6,447,185 already approved by the City for the project’s pre-planning and design.
As the project moves forward, CPL’s team intends for the new library to also operate as a multi-use facility, meaning it should incorporate one or more uses inside of the building, such as a café, a different cultural resource, a co-working space, or retail.
“This will anchor the library as a node drawing on different residents to visit the building for different reasons, thereby stimulating the building as an activity centre,” the document stated. “It will elevate the building to add up more than the sum of its parts.”
Planners are hoping the multi-use approach will increase APL’s membership from the current 34 per cent of Airdrie residents to 45 per cent.
The item was endorsed by council unanimously.
“We are obviously very excited on all fronts to get this project going,” said Mayor Peter Brown.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
