Duane Hicks
FORT FRANCES—With council agreeing Monday night to set up a meeting with the Fort Frances Public Library board to further discuss plans for a new library and technology centre here, next Monday afternoon (May 4) has been set as the tentative date.
Coun. Andrew Hallikas, who also sits on the library board along with Coun. Ken Perry, said in an interview Tuesday that he’s hopeful the parties can strike a compromise.
“This is such an important project, and it has such great potential for our town,” he remarked. “Even in tough economic times, it would be a real shame if it couldn’t come to fruition.
“I know all of the people on the library board definitely are hoping against hope this comes through, and I think most of the people on council, as well, want to see a new library,” Coun. Hallikas added.
“I think the question is, in what form will that final shape of the library be?
“For sure there’s going to have to be some compromise, but we have to be really careful,” he continued. “A lot of thought was put into designing this by many people who know far more about it than I, and I think they came up with a concept . . . that worked both as a library and tech centre and worked for a town like ours, where we’re sort of a regional centre.
“I think we have to be careful,” Coun. Hallikas stressed. “People can’t demand to make cuts randomly, you have to be very, very careful to preserve the integrity of the project.”
Coun. Rick Wiedenhoeft also said he’s hopeful the parties can work something out.
“I am optimistic the library project will go forward,” he remarked. “It was too much at $4.739 [million], and if they’re willing to compromise and we compromise a little bit, I think we can go forward with this project at a reduced cost to the taxpayer.
“I still am optimistic and still in favour of building a new library—just at a reduced cost,” Coun. Wiedenhoeft stressed.
At its April 13 meeting, council voted down the proposed contract for the new Fort Frances Public Library and Technology Centre, which had a projected construction cost of $3.7 million and a total project cost of about $4.739 million.
But in a recorded vote this past Monday evening, all of council voted to schedule the meeting with the library board except for Coun. John Albanese (Mayor Roy Avis was out of town and so could not attend the meeting).
In related news, council received, with appreciation for service, a letter of resignation at Monday night’s meeting from local resident and businessman Alan Tibbetts, who sat on various town boards and committees.
His resignation stemmed from council’s decision April 13 not to proceed with the library contract.
“I feel that if most of our political leaders have so limited a vision for the future of our town’s social and economic development, that ordinary citizens such as me who are trying to improve our municipality have no choice of ever effecting any meaningful growth for Fort Frances,” Tibbetts wrote.
“And as a businessman, the attitude shown by the majority of council toward development and progress in creating employment and social improvements to the town gives me little hope for business sector growth,” he added.
“It has been a privilege to serve in various capacities on behalf of the town for the past 20 years under a variety of councils, but I cannot continue under these frustrating circumstances.”
Up until now, Tibbetts served on the Economic Development Advisory Committee and BIA board of management, as well as the museum board, as a BIA representative, and the Heritage Tourism Project Phase II steering committee.
(Fort Frances Times)
