After a lengthy discussion and presentation, Airdrie City council voted on May 17 to endorse a size of 60,000 square feet for the city’s new public library facility, which is set to open in 2025.
“It truly has been a long time coming,” said Airdrie Public Library Director Pamela Medland after the meeting. “We are just so proud of council for reaching a forward-thinking decision.”
Medland said she is thrilled with the outcome, as a modernized library has been a much-needed amenity in the community for some time.
“At 60,000 square feet, that will allow us to serve the library needs of Airdrie citizens,” she said. “We have been undersized for a long time now.”
One significant addition that will come with the new facility will be the library’s ability to double the number of items it carries. According to Medland, when the facility is complete, the library will be able to increase its current inventory of 80,000 items to 160,000 items.
“That means reduced wait times, a more browsable collection and huge efficiencies for staff,” she added.
Airdrie's current library is roughly 13,500 square feet, according to Medland, meaning the new facility will be more than four times bigger.
According to the council agenda, three options were presented for consideration through a briefing memorandum that was submitted by the consultant team of HCMA Architecture + Design (HCMA) and Resource Planning Group (RPG).
In 2018, a library pre-planning study was completed that focused on assessing a variety of locations for the library. The study further assessed the merits of each site relative to a series of criteria that were established by the steering committee, the report stated.
“The library size assumed in the study was 50,000 [square feet], as referenced in the 2014 Airdrie Public Library Facility Needs Assessment,” the agenda report stated. “The concept planning proposed a library of 50,000 square feet combined with multi use/tenant space of 25,000 square feet for a total facility size of 75,000 square feet on three storeys, which included two levels of underground parking.”
In the submitted briefing memorandum, the 60,000 square-foot option was chosen to best meet certain key objectives, which are to use the library as a catalyst to bring a focus back to Airdrie’s downtown and to be a driver for a multi-use facility that meets the needs of the community.
“The library itself will be a significant catalyst for development, in itself attracting 500,000 visits per year,” the memorandum claimed. “This will have a significant impact on the success of project partners and surrounding businesses, and it will attract future businesses and development.
“The 60,000 square-foot option offers the best opportunity to create the range of activities that will attract citizens to the downtown, and together with other project businesses, will provide the synergies needed to develop a project that is a vital gathering place.”
In a previous council meeting on May 4, council approved the plan for the multi-use library.
According to a document submitted by Colliers Project Leaders (CPL) – the company overseeing the project – the increasing pressure on Airdrie Public Library's capacity in recent years has sparked the need of a new library. The City of Airdrie listed the design for a new library facility within its 2014 capital plans.
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.
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. 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.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
