LET’S DO THIS BY THE BOOK

The proposed site of the new Ottawa Public Library is to be revealed today. And those involved in planning it may have reason to be jittery, given the consternation that followed the National Capital Commission’s initial recommendations for the new Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital.

That recent exercise unleashed surprise, anger, dismay, criticism and political scrambling to get an important building project on track. So library staff are going to want to get their report right before the library board (a mix of public members and councillors appointed by city council), then council, votes for final approval.

Two main things will be revealed today: where the library should go, and how on Earth it’ll be paid for.

As of now, there isn’t any official current estimate of its cost. Back in 2015, $86 million was batted around as a ballpark number. We also need to know what a private-public partnership to build it would look like.

And, of course, the hot potato is the site. There’s a shortlist at the moment, but 12 sites were under initial consideration.

Once these facts are revealed, the public gets six weeks for feedback before the library board votes on Jan. 31.

That’s not a lot of time to react thoughtfully. Yet it doesn’t sound like there will be much formal opportunity to provide input on the report. Written feedback can be sent to the library board, of course, or to your local councillor. The only chance to speak publicly about it will be at the same meeting where the board votes. But we urge the library board to hold a proper public event to listen to what people will say specifically about this report.

A blindsided public is something local politicians want to avoid. And, as was also an issue with the hospital, they must also make sure interest groups don’t unduly torque the process by being better organized and more vocal than everyone else. Some outstanding questions:

• Does the new library need to be downtown?

• What will be the overall cost?

• Will it be a partnership with Library and Archives Canada, and if so, how will that work?

• How much private money will be involved?

• Are we still on track for shovels in the ground in 2018? Should we be?

• How will the design process work? (Ottawans are a wee bit sensitive to change — think Château Laurier — so this ought to be front of mind.)

The new library, once built, will be a major improvement for our city. New libraries have greatly improved other municipalities, such as Halifax. So let’s make double sure the process is done properly. No one wants to end up with a Civic-style imbroglio.