Duane Hicks
The Fort Frances Public Library board is willing to work with town council to salvage plans for a new library and technology centre here, but said council must identify how much it is willing to contribute and how big it wants the library to be before anything else can be done.
The issue was discussed during a 90-minute emergency board meeting yesterday, with board members hopeful that council will discuss the future of the project seriously at its next budget meeting tomorrow.
In a report from project manager Brian Avis, he observed that mayor and council “want the project to advance, albeit with a defined contribution and another scrutiny of building footprint.”
“This is a positive common thread which can lead to issues being solved in a timely fashion to advancement,” Avis noted, adding that to further the project, the town’s contribution must be defined and the building’s footprint must be defined while still being of a size to maintain its functional purpose.
But the clock is ticking, Avis reminded board members, noting the tender process involves a 60-day window, and that agreements must be in place and a contact awarded by May 16 if the project is to proceed this year.
As well, any drawing updates could take up to four weeks.
Avis also said architects have been paid (except for site/contract administration), LEEDS, survey, and soil studies have been paid for, and the contract manager paid.
The project is now in a contract position where changes to the plan would mean paying hourly rates ranging from $40-$175.
As well, major changes to the building not only may affect the functionality of the building, but require complete re-tendering and re-design—and possibly compromise the ethics surrounding the existing tender.
Avis also advised that while there has been some informal talk of a new library building committee, he personally felt this simply would lead to duplication and extra costs, and instead felt the existing committee and council should work more closely together, get over their perceived divisiveness and emotional conflicts, and have an openness to “meaningful compromises.”
“It is my belief that with compromises on the municipal contribution and compromises on the building, while maintaining functionality, it could result in moving forward in June,” Avis said.
Coun. Ken Perry, who sits on the library board along with Joyce Cunningham, Arlene Georgeson, Mark Kowalchuk, Shari Humphrey, Alan Zucchiatti, and Coun. Andrew Hallikas, said he took a poll of the rest of town council, and found that all of them were in favour of a new library and technology centre.
But there continues to be concern over the town’s contribution, how much the facility will cost to operate in the future, and the size of the proposed building.
While the most recent plans have the one-storey building at 13,622 sq. ft., Coun. Perry reiterated to the library board that council not only wants a smaller facility, but it wants to know the total cost for a smaller facility with no compromise in quality, including a paved 36-space parking lot, sidewalks to the front door, metal roof, landscaping, and other features trimmed from the tender to reduce costs.
“Reduce the costs by reducing the size,” he stressed.
Through his polling of council members who voted down the latest proposal last Monday night, Coun. Perry said he found three would approve of a 10,500 sq. ft. facility, one would be okay with 12,000 sq. ft., and another would give the green light to plans for a building “under 12,000 sq. ft.”
