Major concerns

Dear Mike:
Several weeks ago, I received a very nice letter requesting monetary assistance to help fund construction of a new library in the Town of Fort Frances.
My wife and I are now, and have always been, supporters of the library. I sat on the library board as a member of town council. I believe that the library is extremely well-managed and staffed.
I assume the library board and, in fact, council, as well, have progressed past the justification stage for a new library, but I have some major concerns which I feel I need addressed before I would consent to financial assistance.
My first concern deals with the current building and what will happen to it. Will the town try to sell it? Who would be interested in it? Will the power be kept on and will it be heated in the winter until sold.
In my humble opinion, it is a beautiful building and I would hate to see it become a derelict one.
My second, and major, concern (and I know I am not alone with this thought) is the location of the new library. Why do we want to “hide” the building as part of the Memorial Sports Centre?
I firmly believe the new library should be in the downtown core (I would love to see it on the old high school site; of course, I live right across from it and so access would be fantastic). However, that aside, any location right downtown sends a positive message to business people that the town wants to see activity (tourism, etc.) in the central core of our town.
By moving the library to the Memorial Sports Centre, it appears to me the new building on Reid Avenue and Second Street East jams it into the small area to the east of the pool and the skateboard park, and I don’t believe that to be ideal, especially given the industrial look of the Memorial Sports Centre and the sculpted look of the skateboard park.
I await a reply from those making the decisions, and only wrote this letter so a response will not only satisfy me but many others who have like concerns.
Thank you for allowing me this space.
Signed,
David M. Bourgeault
Fort Frances, Ont.