Three conceptual designs for the renovation of the Sechelt Public Library were presented to council at the April 13 finance, culture and economic development committee meeting.
After holding a design charrette and engaging architect Vance Harris of DIALOG, chief librarian Margaret Hodgins said the library wanted to present preliminary options to the district and hear from the public before moving forward with selecting one specific design.
“This is a process and we’re right at the beginning of what can be a long, exciting venture of exploring architecture,” Harris said.
The library is housed on the bottom floor of the Sechelt municipal building and the three conceptual designs pitched by Harris all included a rejigging of the bottom floor to provide more space for the library and a better overall library layout.
Currently the bottom floor houses the library as well as a lobby space and a community use room shared by the library and the District of Sechelt.
“What we’re trying to do with all of these themes is unlock this space that we’ve got in the foyer and the community room in such a way that the community room can be better and the library can also make use of it throughout the day,” Harris said.
Option A would create a new entrance on the south side closer to the centre of the building, expand the library in the southwest corner and add a new café on the southeast corner, as well as create a new entry to the district offices on the north side. This option would also repurpose the community use room as an adult reading space with skylights and access to the café, and provide a new roof overhang on the south side with public seating.
Option B also incorporates the café, adult reading space, roof overhang and new district entrance, and it would expand the library along the south façade. The new library entrance would be on the east side of the addition. The plan also calls for relocating the elevator (used to access the district offices) to the north side of the building.
Option C includes all the aspects of Option B and would provide two storeys along the south façade.
“In terms of where we’re going next,” Harris said, “we’re going to be working with the library board and Margaret [Hodgins], and taking the elements of those three schemes that really resonate, and discarding some that aren’t seen as worth pursuing, and we will develop a consolidated single scheme that we can develop to a further level. And we’re going to get that costed to a class D costing level so that at the end of our engagement there is a clear concept moving forward with an associated class D cost estimate, which gives the community a tool to go out into the world and try to seek funds, rally support, etc.”
Hodgins said the three concepts would be on display in the library lobby for the community to view and give feedback on. There is a survey available at the library as well as online at www.sechelt.bclibraries.coop
Mayor Bruce Milne said he had some concerns with the plan, including the design of a patio area that “signals to the fact that we actually need an updated conceptual landscape plan for everything between here and the visitors’ centre,” the introduction of a commercial café into the library, the dedication of the lobby area to the library and the proposed use of the community use room, which has become heavily utilized by the district for municipal meetings.
“I think you’ve underestimated the unfortunate demands on this room by the upstairs and by council,” Milne said.
Coun. Noel Muller also asked why the costing for the chosen plan would be done to a class D level, as that level of costing has “a 40 per cent overrun potential.”
“In order to move from a class D to a class C it actually involves the engagement of a broader collection of consultants. You need to develop the design much further to get down to a tighter contingency,” Harris said.
“We wanted to have the lightest consultant touch from a fee standpoint to get this project off the ground.”
