TRURO - A representative of the Colchester East Hants Public Library says the old Normal College is not a feasible location for a new library.
Janet Pelley, library director and secretary of the library board, told the Truro Daily News architectural reports indicate there are many reasons the old Normal College isn't a good option.
"The Normal College is not an option for safety reasons, size and cost effectiveness," said Pelley, adding it would cost a few million dollars more to renovate than originally anticipated.
She said the library board is not necessarily advocating a specific location, although she believes the old hat factory, at the corner of Prince and Court streets, is a valid consideration.
"It would fulfill the library's needs but the board recognizes it has to be affordable," said Pelley, adding, "we are not pushing for a brand new building ... that would be ideal but we understand we are in difficult times. The board is looking for a functional building that provides the right size and layout that will serve the community for 30 years."
At a recent town council meeting, frustrations become apparent when discussing how long it's taken to find a new location.
Pelley, however, says she would rather take a little more time to find the most suitable place.
"It needs to be a full examination even if takes a little longer," said Pelley.
In March 2010 the Town of Truro issued a request for proposals for a suitable place for a library. Two proposals were received: the old Normal College by L&R Construction Ltd. and the old hat factory by The Snook Group.
The joint Truro/library board committee selected the Snook Group proposal for design development and price negotiation, but it was stalled due to cost concerns.
In June 2011, a joint county and town construction committee requested the library board convey its facility needs to L&R Construction, and a study into the Normal College took place, which at the time indicated it would cost about $3.5 million to renovate.
The committee reported the Normal College would be too small to house both a central library and its regional headquarters. A suggestion to look into the top floor of the old fire hall was made for use as renovated library headquarters.
In September 2011, L&R hired an architect, Dale Archibald, to assess the normal college and top floor of the fire hall. Feedback indicated it wasn't suitable for a new library.
On Dec. 6, 2011, the Archibald report was shared with the county and town describing the Normal College as "non-compliant" because of its wood construction, which is combustible.
Pelley told the Truro Daily News other issues with the Normal College indicate the space is smaller than required, its configuration over four floors creates operation and staffing issue, and there would be significant costs to structural upgrades, including making it a barrier free accessible building.
"The new cost would be closer to $6 to $8 million," added Pelley.
She said another consideration is the new library will be a two-storey building but the Normal College study presented it as a four-storey building.
"If we had a four storey building we would have to reduce hours of operation because we couldn't afford extra staffing," Pelley said.
She said reducing operating hours would be a bad idea because the library is consistently busy. She estimated 600 people use the facility daily and in addition to books, the library is used for programming for all ages, computer use, school readiness, community meeting rooms and more.
Pelley said reasons for a new library include requiring a larger space, the current facility - which opened in 1968 - is not fully accessible, it needs a new roof, there are air quality issues, dampness in a community room, problems with some windows and the original boiler is "temperamental."
mchiasson@trurodaily.com
The following is a comparison of building sizes that have been considered for a new library.
Present library
Gross square feet - 16,289
Net square feet - 12,140
Number of floors - 2
Renovated Normal College
Gross square feet - 27,132
Net square feet - 17,254
Number of floors - 4
New building (early idea of the corner of Prince and Young street, but not confined to this idea)
Gross square feet - 34,054
Net square feet - 28,752
Number of floors - 2
Renovated old hat factory:
Gross square feet - 34,000
Net square feet - 30,200
Number of floors - 2
Actually libraries are more relevant now than ever. Aside from print material they provide many electronic resources such as e-books, electronic newspapers and journals. There are many different databases available and librarians are information experts in guiding the user to the right resource and how to use it. Yes, there is a great deal of information on the web, however some of it is unreliable. Librarians can advise users on the quality of material. We are not redundant - on the contrary - we are the gateway.