Turning a long-unused second floor theatre back into a performing arts venue is not a priority in plans to renovate the Palmerston Library, says Wellington County Warden Chris White.
White told county council on Sept. 25 that while the design committee will “try and incorporate some aspects of the theatre heritage” into the renovation plan, the space “is needed for library services.”
Reporting on the Sept. 10 Information, Heritage and Seniors Committee meeting, White also pointed out Town of Minto officials are not pushing for inclusion of a theatre in the library.
“They don’t necessarily want to create another competitor for the Norgan Theatre (a town-owned movie house also capable of hosting live events),” said White. “This is a library and that’s what we felt our efforts should be focused on.”
A report from L. Grinham Architects on a community engagement meeting held at the library in May indicates local citizen reaction was divided on the issue.
“There was considerable discussion as to whether the existing auditorium should be preserved and restored or altered,” the report stated.
“While a small number of individuals were passionate about the preservation and restoration of the auditorium for use as a performing arts venue, a number of other patrons expressed the want for a more flexible or multi-functional assembly space available for use by the community.”
At the Sept. 10 meeting, the committee awarded a construction management contract for the Palmerston Carnegie Library renovations to Collaborative Structures Limited (CSL) of Cambridge, for $361,220, excluding HST.
Staff was authorized to negotiate with CSL to finalize construction costs and to bring forward a recommendation to county council in early 2015.
The committee also directed the library design committee to provide L. Grinham Architects with direction for options that will “provide priority library use space as well as preserve heritage features where possible” and provide a report at the October committee meeting.
Recommendations from the community consultation report include:
– renovations should be undertaken per best practice for built heritage conservation;
– repair efforts will be required to address issues such as masonry cracks, foundation deterioration, water infiltration and associated damage and indoor air quality;
– reorganization of interior spaces towards improved functioning and increased usage of the facility and to restore character should be considered;
– upgrades to improve accessibility, and in particular to accommodate barrier-free access, including the construction of an elevator serving all floors, should be considered; and
– upgrades to improve computing services, including modernized equipment and more connection terminals for personal devices should be considered.
The report also notes accommodation of accessibility regulations results in an inability to house the current collection within the main floor library space, “let alone anticipate any future growth.
“If the facility is to meet OPL (Ontario Public Library) Guidelines the area allocated to library services will need to increase,” meaning reallocation of functions to the basement or second floor may be considered, the architect’s report states.
The Palmerston Library building is one of 111 libraries constructed in Ontario during the early part of the 20th century with philanthropic funding from Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie.
The county has budgeted $3 million for renovations to the branch.
