Super library gets funding pledge in federal budget
City to rely heavily on sale of current main branch to offset its $99M share
The federal Liberals will to help fund a $168-million super library, giving the City of Ottawa the confirmation it needs to start planning a facility on LeBreton Flats in collaboration with Library and Archives Canada.
The federal budget released Tuesday earmarks $73.3 million over six years for the joint facility, which includes funding for operations.
The city needed the federal government to provide $69 million for the construction of the building on the city-owned property at 557 Wellington St., which is west of Albert Street and Bronson Avenue. The city will pay $99 million for a new Ottawa Public Library (OPL) main branch in the facility, replacing the aging library building on Metcalfe Street.
Mayor Jim Watson, who was in the gallery in the House of Commons when Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced the budget, said the “pressure” the city put on the feds to fund a joint facility paid off.
Watson expects reports will go to the library board and council about the next steps on the project.
On the issue of selling the current library building on Metcalfe Street, Watson told the Citizen that the city has been in “serious discussions” with a potential buyer but a deal hasn’t been locked up.
Coun. Tim Tierney, chair of the OPL board, welcomed the longawaited news.
“This is not only a win for two levels of government and the taxpayer but it will allow for a world-class library next to light rail,” Tierney said. “This is a major milestone. Our board had the vision and the wait has been worth it.”
There are still outstanding questions about the city ’s portion of the project, mostly when it comes to money.
The project estimate doesn’t include the cost of an underground parking garage. The OPL’s analysis put the parking cost at $18 million and city staff were tasked to research ways to pay for it. The city could ask the private sector to build and operate the parking garage.
There could also be opportunities to provide a combined parking garage with land developers since the city and the National Capital Commission plan to develop the land around the facility.
The city will rely heavily on the sale of its current main library to reduce the $99-million cost and lower the burden on property taxpayers. There could also be a campaign to raise money from the community.
The city will no doubt ask Queen’s Park to pay for some of the construction costs, and timing could be in the city’s favour, since provincial election candidates will hit the campaign trail ahead of the June election.
The preliminary building plan calls for 215,458 square feet in four storeys, divided 61 per cent and 39 per cent between OPL and Library and Archives Canada, respectively. Shared amenities would include the entrance plaza, meeting rooms, outdoor programming space, an exhibition gallery and a genealogy centre.
“This new building will be an iconic community hub, a single door to the national library and archives, and a world-class public library in Canada’s capital city which will increase citizen participation in the community and improve access to Canada’s history, culture and collective knowledge,” the federal budget says.
The feds expect the building to open in 2023.
The city is in the middle of hiring an architect for the project. It has wanted to break ground this year, which would be convenient for Watson, who made a new central library a cornerstone of his re-election campaign in 2014. He has said he’ll seek re-election in the October vote.
Ottawa Centre MP Catherine McKenna also committed to fight for library money during the 2015 federal election.
Municipal library advocates will be pressing the city for more public consultations on the building design and programming.
Council voted in favour of the project in February 2017 with hopes the federal government would quickly confirm their own funding. That ended up taking more than a year.
Coun. Catherine McKenney, who represents downtown Ottawa, was the only city councillor who voted against the project. She opposes the location, which is just outside the traditional downtown borders and is an uphill walk from the closest LRT station on Booth Street near Albert Street.