New Cape Breton Library: 31 Million?

Today I had a well rounded conversation with my father, about the new library project, on the one hand, a library brings vital, important, and elevating services to a community; on the other hand, our roads are a mess, our infrastructure is failing and commercial property tax is around 5%. So, do I think a new library would be an excellent addition to our community? Yes. Do I think a 31 million dollar make work project is necessary to achieve the goal? Absolutely not.

So, first, in the conversation we were having, we discussed 3 potential alternatives:

1. Upgrading the existing facilities

2. Using commercial leasing to fund the building in the form of investment

3. Purchasing an existing building and renovating it into a library

So, I'd like to do some exploring into each of these options, because I think they have merit and I'm not sure why the jump to “build a 31 million dollar building” was made. So, lets start in order:

Upgrading the existing facilities

I've been in the basement of our library on computer repair jobs, and it's not great, but it is a space and it has merit to be renovated into a usable space for people. Now, this would require that the book storage be moved to another location, but that is doable. The existing library is in terrible repair, it needs a new roof, new windows and an updated climate control system, but the brick structure itself is sound, and the electrical should be fine, so do you really need a whole new building to fix those problems? Since it's a brick building with a standard A-frame roof, there is also the option of adding another story to the existing building, and I know this is not only possible, but also less expensive than building new, this is why they do it in larger cities all the time.

Now, there are some serious drawbacks to this idea, one of which being that there would be some serious downtime for the library, especially if an additional level were to be added to the structure. Like I said above, the library provides some vital services to the community, so either it would have to be done in such a way that the vital services could continue to be offered out of the existing space, or a temporary space would have to be derived in the interim. Neither of those are desirable solutions and no matter which you choose, there will still be some downtime.

Using commercial leasing to fund the building in the form of investment

I know this is the one that I'm going to get the most hate on, for some reason the world hates the free market at the moment, but it is still a valid option, and a good one in my opinion. Basically, you would set aside about a quarter of the space in the new facility for businesses to operate out of (coffee shop, book store, stationary supply store, etc) preferably all local small businesses, and charge reasonable rent for the leaseholds. In this way, the facility could be partially commercial in nature and would be partially self sufficient. This would support the creation of small business, would provide funds for ongoing upgrades as the project moves forward or as the building ages, and would take a great deal of the burden of maintaining the facility off of the tax payer. This would also encourage local private investment in the facility, thought that would require a return on investment, but I'm not trying to create a full business plan, I'm just playing with an idea.

The downside on this idea is that the facility would be partially answerable to the private sector, which seems to be a point of contention these days for a lot of people. Now, being someone who actively engages in the private sector and enjoys it, I've never been able to figure out this ongoing trend, but I do have to acknowledge it. There is also the standard risk of business, which is ever present in the private sector, it's difficult to plan a project around businesses that may or may not succeed in the spaces provided. However, I would argue that private sector landlords do it all the time with relative success, so it must be possible.

Purchasing an existing building and renovating it into a library

There are a virtual plethora of buildings in the Sydney, Downtown Sydney and surrounding areas that could be used or renovated into a library. Now, I'll give you that it would require some patience and the volunteering of individuals or organizations with the skills needed to assess a building and determine if it were suitable for the needs of a library. However, I think it could be done, hell, I'd volunteer what time I had to try to make it happen, though I'm only a computer technician and network admin, so I'm not sure how many of my skills could be used, but to get the library up and running, I'd do what I could.

The potential downside to this concept is the library would potentially be buying into the problems of someone else. But that risk is run with building new as well, considering you have to take into account all the risks associated with contracting the building of a new facility, we've all heard horror stories about poor quality workmanship and “built by the lowest bidder” government projects.

Look, no matter how you go about getting a new library up and running, there are risks, but that doesn't mean that we should jump straight to the most expensive option. A new building can be exciting and build a lot of public interest and support, it's a great political move, it's a great publicity project, but it may not be the best option for creating a safe and usable space for the people of our community. I just think that, maybe, we need to find a way to get our new library in a much more cost effective way.

Posted by
Receive news by email and share your news and events for free on goCapeBreton.com
SHOW ME HOW


536 2
https://capebreton.lokol.me/new-cape-breton-library-31-million
We need a new library, but maybe a 31 million dollar budget is too high
Gov Political Commentary

2

Log In or Sign Up to add a comment.
Depth
Bill Fiander Follow Me
31 million dollars seems to be a lot of money to be put into a new library for this area, especially when there are other more pressing needs. I wonder what the overall public sentiment is towards this?
Brian Linden My Post Follow Me
That is sort of my feelings on the matter as well, it's basically why I wrote the article. If me and my father can come up with 3 potential ways to get a new library for less money, what is preventing the municipality from doing the same. My primary concern is that it is being used as a political tool and that there has never been and is no intention of actually completing the project.

Facebook Comments

View all the LATEST
and HOTTEST posts
View

Share this comment by copying the direct link.

  • Our Sponsors

Using this website is subject to the Terms of Use that contain binding contractual terms.