It’s official.
Centre Wellington Township council passed a bylaw on Nov. 17 that approved the sale of its Fergus and Elora libraries to Wellington County.
The vote was unanimous, but councillor Bob Foster noted the only reason he was voting in favour was because that was one way to guarantee the libraries would remain on the towns’ main streets. He said he does not like the idea of selling the town’s buildings.
Both libraries were built at the turn of the last century from cash given to the communities by American financier and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who built hundreds of them around the world as he disbursed his huge fortune.
Wellington County wants to own its library buildings, and the Fergus and Elora libraries were sold to the county for $1 each. The agreement stipulates that if the buildings ever cease being libraries, they will revert to the municipality for the same cost.
In the meantime, though, the county will be making major improvements to both buildings. The plans for the Elora library are on display there, including over $1-million in expenditures – something the township simply could not afford. Improvements are also being planned for the Fergus library.
Centre Wellington Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj has called the agreement with the county a “win-win.”
