New design revealed at library groundbreaking
Posted Nov 8, 2011 05:41:18 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Library Board has revealed an updated set of plans for the new Halifax Central Library.
The images were unveiled during a ceremonial groundbreaking on Spring Garden Road attended by dignitaries from all three levels of government.
“This building will be able to be an icon. We needed to make sure that it was on the side of the public,” said Mayor Peter Kelly to the crowd gathered on the street. “The Library Board made sure that that public process was there. So, to the Library Board, thank you for making sure we involved the public from Day 1.”
The 100,000 square foot facility is expected to have a larger book collection, meeting and study rooms, a 250-seat cultural and performance space, as well as a space for computer and emerging technologies.
The $55 million project is receiving funding from all three levels of government – $23.7 million from HRM, $13 million from the province and $18.3 million from the major infrastructure component of the Building Canada Fund.
Nova Scotia Municipal Relations Minister John MacDonell said the new library will be a landmark for downtown, a place of reference and a meeting place for the community.
“Libraries empower, educate and enrich individuals and communities,” said MacDonell, a former teacher. “I’ve seen firsthand the important role libraries play in a person’s education.”
With Central Nova MP Minister Peter MacKay, dignitaries turned some ceremonial sod at the construction site and toured the fenced-off pit where bulldozers were clawing up the ground.
The new library will replace the Spring Garden Road Memorial Library and is expected to drive the economic revitalization of the downtown.
