Local library to open at the end of the year
February 25, 2010 9:00 AM
In November 2010, the Antigonish Town and County Library will be ready for use in its new location on Main Street.
The new space will replace the former Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library located behind Town Hall.
Called the People’s Place Project, the library has been in the works for ten years and the costs will amount to five and a half million dollars.
Funding for the project comes from the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, the Town of Antigonish, the Atlantic Canada Building Fund, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Service Nova Scotia.
Chief Librarian of the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library Eric Stackhouse explains that construction will soon be busy underway.
“The construction drawings are now being done by the architect, Dale Archibald, and they are about a little over 50 per cent done. The next step is to issue tenders and then the construction companies bid on the job, [which] will take in another three weeks. We can expect to see construction working on site late in April.”
The new space will span 16 thousand square feet, including the spaces that Southern Accents and Dooly’s formerly occupied, and part of the current parking lot. This is 16 times larger than the current local library.
The library will include designated areas for children and youth, large meeting rooms, a community kitchen, a fireplace, a reading patio and a bistro area.
The entire property is being expanded towards Piper’s Pub and Empire Theatres, including the parking lot towards the brook and College Street.
Adult literacy classes will be offered, as will a program called Health Connections, a community health outreach program provided by the Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority.
The library’s collection will be expanded to over 60,000 items, ranging from books to DVDs, and will offer more computers.
The library is allocating extra funding towards this expansion, and Friends of the Antigonish Library (FOAL) is also fundraising.
“I think it will be a great place to gather, [with] a lot of programs that will be of interest. Non-profit [groups] will be able to use the meeting rooms and the kitchen for free,” says Stackhouse.
The new building, in addition to the many upgrades aforementioned, will also be environmentally conscious.
Solar panels will be installed, as will geo-thermal heating and cooling systems. The roof will be reflective and completely upgraded to increase its energy efficiency, including the installation of skylights.
The project will also aim to support local business, as a local construction company will be chosen to complete the renovations. Local artwork will also be displayed inside the library. As students crowd the StFX library, the prospect of an improved local library will create a new study space for those looking to escape campus.
“The whole thing was built right from what do people want, and we feel pretty good that we have included everything that people have asked for,” Stackhouse states.
“We’re looking forward to being a place for everyone in the community to go and that includes all the folks at StFX.”
