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It’s a setback of two years and $2 million.
But Regina Public Library board chair Marj Gavigan vows she’ll be back one day to share new ideas for the renewal of the Central Library.
“Oh, hold my beer. I’m not done yet,” Gavigan told reporters after receiving a final, clarifying decision from Regina City Council that the city does not have the debt room to fund the renewal project.
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Councillor David Froh brought forward a motion passed by council clarifying that the July 9, 2024, decision committing to debt funding the project was only generally supportive.
“It does not bind the city or administration to the project or the related assumed debt until such time as the project and funding source are approved during budget deliberations,” Froh’s motion stated.
During the 2026 budget process, councillors were told there was only enough debt room for either the library renewal or needed upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, but not both. As a result, the library was not included in the list of capital projects.
“After 17 years, it’s still frustrating to be at the back of the line,” Gavigan said, reading a prepared statement. “We still have a failing building that’s inaccessible, too small, and not built to deliver modern library services.”
(L-R) Curtis Smith, executive director, Finance and Strategy; Jeff Barber, RPL chief executive officer; and Marj Gavigan, board chair, appeared before council on Wednesday. (Geoff Smith/980 CJME)
She said the board would meet to regroup and discuss options.
Mayor Chad Bachynski said it’s about priorities.
“We know that things like libraries and recreational facilities are critically important to cities and making a city a city,” he said, “but this is one of those difficult decisions where we have to look at the critical infrastructure of wastewater management in parallel with that.”
He said changes made to the Official Community Plan should put the city on a more sound footing, with growth paying for growth.
“The goal is to get to a more sustained, predictable state for our finances, so that we can get to a place where we can balance how much we’re investing in those amenities and how much we need to continue to invest in our infrastructure,” he explained.
Bachynski also said the city will work on communicating decisions more clearly to prevent another situation like the RPL moving forward on a project without funding certainty.
In the meantime, Gavigan said the issues with the Central Library aren’t going away.
“One of the biggest risks, of course, is the boilers,” she said. “Hopefully, we’re moving into spring and summer, and so that’s not quite as big a risk as it is in the winter when we kind of worry about it most.
“But there could be some things that we can do to get us through a few more years, if that’s what the board decides.”
