The concept for a new Vancouver Island Regional Library branch will be unveiled next week.
The library expects to build a new branch at its administration building at 6250 Hammond Bay Road to serve the Hammond Bay area and Lantzville.
Plans for the new branch include converting more than 1,200 square metres of the administration building’s 2,229 metres to library space that would feature public computers, lounge seating, meeting rooms and children’s program areas.
“We have the preliminary design and we’ll do a short PowerPoint presentation talking about what is behind the design, what the research is telling us about libraries of the 21st Century and what the people of this area want,” said Rosemary Bonanno, VIRL executive director.
“When we did our strategic plan we got a lot of good feedback about what people expect from their library. They’re expecting their library to be the centre of the community – a meeting place – and that’s what we’re trying to achieve with this design.”
Chow Low Hammond Architect Inc. of Victoria was hired to create the design and the library borrowed $8 million through the Municipal Finance Authority, with the Regional District of Nanaimo’s co-operation, to cover construction costs.
The building contract will be put out to public tender and construction could get underway in the fall of 2012.
The new branch will not replace the Wellington Library branch on Barons Road, which is heavily used and will remain open.
An open house is planned for Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Vancouver Island Regional Library administration building at 6250 Hammond Bay Rd.
