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Florence Stratton is part of the Friends of the Regina Public Library group and a Regina resident who loves to use the library. She’s also an English professor at the University of Regina.
Stratton will attend library board meetings when there is an issue she’s interested in. That’s why she was at the RPL’s regular board meeting Tuesday night.
The board voted during its Sept. 27 meeting to recommend demolishing the downtown library branch in order to erect a new library building in its place.
Stratton said this isn’t the first time the board has wanted to replace the central downtown branch. Previously, Stratton said there was a bid to see the library space moved into the Cornwall Centre to allow the property to be taken over by someone else.
The “public outcry” that resisted that change is one reason Stratton believes it didn’t move forward at the time.
“I don’t want the building demolished,” Stratton said. “I love seeing the library there. It’s right across from the park. I use it myself for many things.”
The library patron said public libraries are “exceedingly important” and said she herself has relied on the downtown branch for help in the past, like when proof of vaccination was required at many businesses in Regina and Stratton said she was having trouble getting her health documentation.
“I went to the library (and) they did it for me. I’m grateful,” she shared.
She said the library is so much more than books.
RPL board chair Sean Quinlan agreed. He said the libraries offer around 7,000 programs today and many of them centre around technology-based programs and supports.
Quinlan said the desire to expand the library is rooted in providing more programs to meet the needs of the people of Regina today and generations to come as the population continues to grow.
When the current 75,000-square-foot structure was built in 1962, the city boasted a population of 110,000; that has more than doubled as of 2022. Quinlan said the city is anticipating a population of more than 300,000 in the future.
That explains the years and hundreds of hours spent by the RPL investigating how best to approach growing its resources.
Quinlan said that after surveying various options and knowing the present downtown library is “in considerable need of replacement,” the best financial move is to start fresh with a new space. Quinlan said that would cost about the same amount as bringing the building up to code, renovating and expanding to the 150,000 square feet that Quinlan said is needed for the branch.
The cost is in excess of $50 million.
Options considered for expanding the space, including adding floors to the building or constructing a tower behind it, have various problems that Quinlan said engineers and architects have brought to the board’s attention.
“We have to serve the needs of the people of Regina,” Quinlan said, “not only today but we have to look at generations in the future.”
Stratton believes that if more space is needed, renovations to the existing space are the better route to take. She said the majority of presentations made at Tuesday’s board meeting endorsed renovating the current space rather than rebuilding.
Reasons like a negative environmental impact from tearing down and rebuilding and the heritage value of the existing building were brought up.
After hearing the presentations, Stratton believes it is more economical to make do with improving the existing library.
Her allegiance to the space has less to do with that, however, than a more logistical concern.
“I could see them demolishing the building and then not getting enough money to put a new building up,” Stratton said.
Stratton said she worries that would end up with the library being “temporarily” relocated in the Cornwall Centre and losing the old downtown property eventually to property developers.
Special features at the downtown library like the Dunlop Art Gallery, the film theatre and the Prairie History Room could be lost in any new development too, Stratton worried.
“I don’t want to take that risk. Plus, I like the building,” she said.
Stratton wants to know where the hundreds of millions of dollars needed for the project are going to come from, especially when the City of Regina appears to be struggling with issues like its 15-year plan to remove lead pipes in the city.
Tuesday’s 6-2 vote in favour of demolishing the existing building saw the opposition votes come from the city representatives, Mayor Sandra Masters and Coun. John Findura.
While Quinlan said he sees the votes coming from the city representatives on the board as a “separate issue” — he said votes are the preference of the individual and board members aren’t asked to provide reasoning behind their vote — Stratton feels encouraged.
“I find that cheering … hopeful,” she said with a chuckle, noting the plan will eventually have to be brought before city council if it proceeds.
Stratton does not feel city council will vote the decision through.
Quinlan notes the process will now bring the recommended build before the newly formed catalyst committee, which is tasked with reviewing a number of major projects proposed for Regina.
The next steps will be soliciting public engagement and further meetings of the catalyst committee to decide how the issue proceeds.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an amended version of this story, correcting the date of a board meeting.
