Regina Public Library looking to explain why it needs a new downtown building

Kevin Saunderson walks through the Regina Public Library’s central branch, pointing out damage, leaks and electrical wiring nearly old enough to qualify for Old Age Security.

In a series of tours happening this week, the library is pointing out all the problems with the building that are just some of the reasons the board wants a new one in the same place.

There’s a very wide range of problems, according to Saunderson, including granite panels on the outside that are threatening to fall off.

The No. 1 infrastructure problem is the boilers, explained Saunderson, the executive director of service innovation at the Regina Public Library.

“If both boilers become unavailable — and that is easy to contemplate happening given that these things are over 60 years old — we would have to be out of this building almost immediately,” he said.

Kevin Saunderson, executive director of service innovation at the Regina Public Library, on Oct. 25, 2022. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

When they do break down, it’s difficult and expensive to find parts and someone who knows how to fix them.

There are also several aspects of the building that don’t meet modern building codes, including the placement of the boiler room so close to the front doors.

The electrical system is also a big concern. Saunderson said it’s also very old and is expensive to replace components, but there’s also old wiring in the walls that can’t be replaced and some of it is getting to be a fire hazard.

The roof is the third major concern for the current building. Saunderson said it’s concrete and is sloped to deal with the water, but the grade isn’t steep enough. There are leaks that happen, getting into the insulation and creating leaks they often can’t find.

“We have leaks that occur from time to time that we can’t find where they are because water comes through a leak over here but it doesn’t actually make its way into the building until it reaches over here,” said Saunderson.

When there are leaks, it can create other problems because the ceiling has asbestos. It can be fine if it’s undisturbed, but when combined with water leaks, it can become a hazard.

On the tour, Saunderson points out a large access panel in the ceiling upstairs where there was a leak and a section of ceiling had to be remediated.

Despite all the problems, Saunderson said the library is safe for people to use right now.

“The challenge is just the risk associated with long-term continued use without doing something,” said Saunderson.

Other problems he pointed out include spalling in the ceiling from condensation, windows that were installed backwards on the north-facing part of the building, an art vault that has no climate control which can be a danger to keeping the art safe, code issues with the entry ramp, and design problems leading to security issues in the front entryway.

It’s estimated a brand-new building would cost about $125 million, though Saunderson said that’s an estimate from a few years ago. With recent inflation in the construction industry, the final cost could end up being more.

The library wants the new building to be about twice the size of the current one, achieved through using nearby open space and building upwards.

“While we have lots of people coming using our space now, we’re trying to take as good advantage of the space that we have today to meet the needs as well as we possibly can. There are all kinds of things that we would like to do that we cannot do because we don’t have the space for it,” said Saunderson.

Just to fix all the problems in the building would cost about $50 million, according to Saunderson.

“But you’re not getting any benefits of improved space or additional space or anything. It’s essentially what you’re looking at now, today, is what you would see 50 years from now,” he explained.

“That’s an opportunity cost at this point in time that will hinder our ability to meet the needs of the community.”

There could be the possibility of fixing the current building and expanding it to achieve the extra space, but Saunderson said that would cost about as much as a new building and wouldn’t fix the design issues present in the current building.

“We would be living with a lot of the problems that we continue to live with today that a new building is about the only way that we’re going to be able to solve that,” said Saunderson.

The board feels improvements are worth the $75-million difference between the fixes to the old building and the cost of a new one, according to Saunderson.

The new library idea was presented to the public last week at the catalyst committee public engagement meetings and there was some opposition to the idea.

Saunderson cautioned this is only an idea right now. It’s a preference that the library board has made public; it hasn’t even got to the design level. There are still reports from the committee to come and decisions to be made at the city government level, so it could be months, or possibly years, before a final decision is made.

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