City council halts library revamp
The $5.2 million upgrade of Palmerston North’s city library, which was expected to have begun by now, is on hold while more checks are made on the building’s structure.
Library and Community Services general manager Debbie Duncan said the Library of the Future project was proving ‘‘incredibly challenging’’.
Duncan would not discuss what further investigations were needed because of commercial sensitivities, but wanted to let the public know work was continuing behind the scenes.
The city council had advertised for contractors, but when proposals came in it found it was not ready to award a tender.
‘‘The tender process itself helped to inform a deeper understanding of our needs.
‘‘We need to do more due diligence around the building, and do more assessment of the facility, its services, fixtures and fittings.’’
Duncan said the building, which was substantially updated and strengthened to accommodate the library’s move there in 1996, ‘‘had good bones’’.
It was a heritage building, treasured by the community, but also complex in its construction.
‘‘We want to do it once and do it well, and are totally aware this is the most well-used community facility in the city. It is a very special place.’’
Duncan said she could not speculate on whether the delay would see the cost of the project increase.
But doing the extra homework now would help ensure the right decisions were made.
The last thing she wanted would be to start on construction and then find unexpected problems behind the walls.
The library attracts about 2000 visitors a day, or about one million visits a year.
Some 3500 people had provided commentary on what they wanted the library to be like in future and the project would honour those community expectations.
It was just a matter of how those aspirations would be met, rather than changing the goals.
Many of the proposed changes were designed to modernise the library, with an increased focus on digital needs and on welcoming community activity.
Key physical changes would be on the ground floor, where the former Public Trust Office would provide a welcome lounge and cafe directly from The Square.
The George St access would also be extended and opened out, with the central toilets moved to free up a direct link between The Square and George St.
Improvements were planned for the children’s section and the archives and the mezzanine level.
Better weather-proofing was needed, and a green, hanging garden above the current walkway from The Square was proposed to allow for opening the windows and using the balconies.
Duncan said while building new would be much simpler than renovating an historic building that had already been significantly altered, the council was determined to persevere with a project that would make the most of its strengths and its prime location.
Duncan said the time frame for the building work was still not known.