Site location for new library draws community approval

Published on November 20, 2008

Published on January 31, 2010

By Karla Kelly FOR THE DIGBY COURIER
Community members applauded their approval of the Weymouth library site selection decision announced at a public meeting Tuesday evening in Weymouth.

After a previous meeting in September the municipal council finalized the site selection based on community input and feasibility studies.

Municipal councillor Randal Amero said the new library will be constructed downtown to the left of Sissiboo Landing and will provide 10 parking spaces. including handicap accessibility. “Studies indicated the downtown location was the most feasible site,” said Amero. “It fit in with the community economic development strategy for downtown Weymouth and we had wide community support for this location.”

Amero said the location would create a year round downtown anchor besides having high visibility and easy access. “There is no acquisition cost for the land as the property was offered to the municipality by the Waterfront Development Committee,” added Amero. “The municipality has already set aside $110,000 for construction.”

Along with the site location announcement, consulting engineers Sandy Dewer and Larry Honey from Hiltz and Seamone Ltd. of Coldbrook presented preliminary library floor plans.

Western Counties Regional Library director Trudy Amirault along with Dewer, Honey and Amero led the discussion.

Amirault said that the proposed floor plans included wheelchair accessibility, a separate program room that will be available after library hours, and a children’s area visible to the adult section. The grounds outside provide adequate parking space.

Community input in the discussion centered on the position of the library so that the Sissiboo River would be more visible to those using the library and the addition of floor space.

Mmunicipal council will apply ‘green technology’, using geothermal heating and solar panels to heat the new structure. “Cost is a big factor,” said Amero. “Once the floor plans are finalized, we can move ahead with costing and our financing options”.

Community member Betty Rice was pleased with the meeting and the progress made to date. “It was a very good meeting and there was a lot of input from many attending the session,” said Rice. “The preliminary sketches were clearly explained and the council was open to making changes in the floor plans especially regarding the shelving and ambiance.”

Amero said the existing library is not adequate to meet needs of the community so the sooner the new facility can be constructed the better.