Some Community News from Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn
Posted January 8th, 2016 on Niagara At Large
The Town of Pelham in Niagara, Ontario – Members of the Maple Acre Advisory Committee and I want your feedback on the design of the renewed Pelham Library Branch in Downtown Fenwick.
We invite you to an Open House on Wednesday, January 13 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at Pelham Fire Station #2 (766 Welland Road) where the architect and builder will display the latest designs.
Maple Acre Library Branch in Pelham community of Fenwick
Council and the Library Board recognized years ago that the aged Maple Acre Library branch required renewal; we struck a joint committee back in 2008 to make recommendations. While that committee looked at many ideas – building a joint Library / Firehall (prior to the new Fires Station #2), constructing a new library either in Centennial Park or at the former Fire Station (Welland Road at Canboro) – it got a bit bogged down.
Then, despite an increasing Town grant and best efforts by the Library Board, the Library posted a +$60,000 year-end deficit for 2012. The Town retained a consulting firm in early-2013 to conduct facilities and operations reviews.
The facilities review recommended that the Maple Acre branch become a kiosk-type operation, instead of a full-service branch. This recommendation was rejected by the Board and met the ire of the community-at-large.
So, in late-2013 to early-2014, Council initiated combined Council, Board, Friends of Maple Acre Library and community creative problem solving sessions. The challenge – how might we provide the most appropriate library services in Fenwick – led to an April 2014 resolution of Council to “continue library services at the Maple Acre Branch.”
That spring, Council struck a tripartite working group to recommend a “state of the art, ideal, and resilient library” in Fenwick.
In September, the group proposed renovating and adding on to the original 1919 Maple Acre building with a “learning commons”-type library with “rentable, flexible, multi-purpose, open space” and an area for the community’s “significant historic records.”
Council accepted the report and approved a $1 million for the design / build of the facility in 2015.
The proposed design includes a quiet / study room, a lounge area facing Canboro Road, a technology centre, an historic record workroom, and children’s activity / multipurpose rooms that can be used / rented separately.
The exterior endeavours to follow the Town’s design guidelines for Civic Landmark Buildings (like Libraries): “Where additions or external alterations are proposed, the design should be sympathetic and subordinate to the heritage aspects of the buildings while clearly distinguishing between that which is new and old.” (S4.7, P35).
Now, we are ready for and want your thoughts and feedback on the design. I hope you can join us next Wednesday!
You may contact Mayor Dave at mayordave@pelham.ca or read past columns at www.pelhammayordave.blogspot.com.
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