‘Building for the Future’ a site of ideal opportunity

It just makes sense.
A high density residential area, nearby schools, senior citizen housing, a busy sports centre next door—what could be more culturally and economically positive to Fort Frances than building a brand new library in the midst of all that?
How about the added bonus of having the location ready for construction, with no buildings to tear down?
It’s a site of ideal opportunity for the “Building for the Future”—the new Fort Frances Library to be built at the corner of Reid Avenue and Second Street East here.
The property will allow for proposed use of 64,000 sq. ft., including a 17,000 sq. ft. library facility, an outdoor reading garden, and parking for more than 90 vehicles.
“I can hardly wait!” one local mom with a sports-minded pre-teen touted recently.
“The benefits of a new library with more room goes without saying, but the benefits of a new library built close to the [Memorial Sports Centre] means that when I take my child to hockey practice or swimming lessons, I can just go next door and read,” she added.
In keeping with the library board’s strategy of supporting the town’s idea of keeping “Quality of Life” services together, building the new library adjacent to the Memorial Sports Centre was a golden opportunity.
“It is an ideal location,” said board chairman Joyce Cunningham.
“In visiting other libraries, we discovered that many communities grouped these services together because that is what the residents wanted,” she added.
On Feb. 2, the “Building for the Future” project received a $1.6-million contribution from the Ontario Ministry of Culture towards construction of a new Fort Frances Library.
With a large portion of the total cost of $3.8 million for the proposed new public library now covered by the Ontario government, the remaining expenditure will be made up through further grants and local fundraising initiatives.
An estimated timeline for the library project targets construction for 2008 and completion in 2009.
The official launch day for the “Building for the Future” local fundraising campaign is March 23.