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Chair Tierney stated that
the Board will consider recommendations which require Council consent and
approval on 8 February 2017. He noted that if the Board was unable to
approve the report in the time allotted, staff have secured Wednesday, 1
February 2017 at 5:00 pm for a continuation of this evening’s meeting.
Before turning to Monique
Désormeaux, Deputy CEO, of the Ottawa Public Library (OPL), for a
presentation Chair Tierney advised that Danielle McDonald, CEO has been off work
recovering from an injury. He wished her well and hoped to see her back at
the Board table soon.
Chair Tierney advised
that during the Deputy CEO’s presentation, the Board will hear from John
Smit, Manager of Planning Policy, and Acting Director of Economic
Development, who will provide the City’s planning context, as requested by
some members of the Board to inform decision-making. In addition, Nik Nanos,
from Nanos Research will present the results of the survey undertaken to
determine public opinion on the recommendations in a scientific fashion.
Ms. Désormeaux, Deputy CEO provided an overview of the
Central Library Development Project: Ottawa Public Library-Library and
Archives Canada Joint Project. (Held on file with the Chief Executive
Officer)
Key highlights of the
presentation included:
- Overview of services and
spaces of OPL;
- Background / history of
the decisions to-date;
- Overview of today’s
libraries, and examples of libraries from around the world that are
transforming societies and cities;
- The vision for the Ottawa
Central Library joint facility with Library and Archives Canada (LAC);
- Mr. Smit provided an overview of the
city’s urban design plans and how the Ottawa Central Library can help achieve
that vision;
- Overview of the key recommendations
of the report; and,
- Mr. Nanos provided the
results of the public survey that showed city-wide support for the potential
partnership with Library and Archives Canada, the spaces and uses of the
joint facility, and the recommended site.
Chair Tierney thanked Ms.
Désormeaux, Mr. Smit, and Mr. Nanos. He said there was a lot of information
in the 600 pages of the Board report and the presentation. He noted that
when Halifax Regional Municipality was considering a location for its new
Central Library, the eventual site was considered an important “hinge”
connecting the then downtown area to the Spring Garden Road area. Much like the
OPL staff recommendations, Halifax was aiming to balance land use objectives
with the goal of creating a liveable, vibrant, and attractive urban area.
Chair Tierney said that the Board has seen the most robust site selection
process for a public library; a process that involved experts, and was
overseen by a fairness commissioner. He mentioned that 12 sites were
evaluated against criteria and weightings that were developed with public
input. He reiterated that Confederation Park was not one of those sites.
Chair Tierney said more than 5,000 voices were shared in the process, and
that OPL has spent $500,000 on public consultation and research since 2012.
He pointed out that to ensure the integrity of the process the Board approved
the site evaluation criteria and weightings prior to being informed of the
sites. From the beginning, it was the Board’s role to recommend the best
possible site to Council for approval. Chair Tierney said while concerns
have been raised with respect to accessibility to the site, Mr. Smit advised
that the City is undertaking a complete redesign of the area as part of the
transition to Light Rail Transit, and that Mr. Nanos reported that there is
overall public support for the recommendations.
The Board then heard from
the following delegations:
Matthew Don Trapp,
President, The International, Political and Policy Studies Student
Association (IPPSSA),
spoke in favour of the proposed location as students will benefit greatly,
noting that they all have access to a U-Pass. He is excited for the project
to move ahead and supports the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) and Library and
Archives Canada (LAC) partnership.
Chantal Cloutier, Friends of the
Ottawa Public Library Association (FOPLA)*, shared thoughts about the progress
to-date, and how FOPLA intends to support the project during the course of
the year. She provided a breakdown of funds raised for OPL and encouraged
the Board to support the staff recommendations. FOPLA is excited by the
innovative partnership decision with LAC, as customers will be the biggest
winners. Ms. Cloutier raised some concerns with respect to parking, saying
it is a necessary service, however, it should not be seen as a revenue
opportunity.
Chair Tierney thanked Ms. Cloutier
for FOPLA’s continued hard work.
Maria Ricci, resident of Nepean, said
the Board has reached a recommended site by democratic means and must approve
it in the best interest of all residents and not just one group. She
provided statements in support of the proposed location, such as the new
library will remain in the downtown perimeter; it will be close to light rail
transit; it will have parking; it will have greenspace, natural light, and
view of the river; and it will add to the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats.
For taxpayers, the recommended site is the least costly of options, and the
facility will incorporate a coffee shop that will support the library without
competing with downtown businesses.
Linda Standing, retired OPL Manager for
more than three years, and regular library customer of the Beaverbrook
Branch, was supportive of the recommended site for the joint facility. She
expressed fatigue at hearing negative input from media as the primary
function of a central library is to serve the city as a whole. She said the
new facility will need to be functional, but should have flexibility to adapt
as the city will change. Ms. Standing said having a branch for the catchment
area will be hard to accept and identified reasons why. She concluded by
saying it would be a shame if the Board were not to proceed as Site 8 is the
best possible option.
In response to Trustee
Wilkinson regarding the importance of public input into design, Ms. Standing
advised it is absolutely critical, given her experience with previous library
builds.
Trustee Sweet asked Ms.
Standing to comment on accessibility. Ms. Standing noted that she uses a
cane, and said the site has minor accessibility issues and does not think
that it will be an issue, given planned city upgrades.
In response to Trustee
McKenney’s question on how the delegation gets to her branch, Ms. Standing
advised that she drives.
Joan Gullen*, retired social worker
addressed her concerns with the LeBreton Flats proposed site. She said there
is a compelling case to see a central library in Confederation Park and she
encouraged the Board to consider that site as it would be central and
accessible. Ms. Gullen asked the Board to not let a golden opportunity slip
away as it may regret it in the future.
Trustee Fisher asked Ms. Gullen to
speak to walkability and how she gets to her branch. The delegation said she
lives in the suburbs, she uses a walker, and needs assistance to access the
library.
Councillor Keith Egli, Ward 9 Knoxdale-Merivale,
and former OPL Board member, spoke in favour of the proposed site. He
said the Board and staff have been very diligent in identifying the best site
possible for all residents of Ottawa. Mr. Egli mentioned the process has
been exhaustive and won’t satisfy all residents, but has been fair and
reasonable in approach, and in reaching the recommendations proposed. He
was supportive of enhancing City Hall with a smaller library branch. Mr.
Egli encouraged the Board to continue intensive ongoing consultations
throughout the process. He said it’s time to start a new chapter and get the
library built.
Tony Griffiths retired architect and
long time resident of Centertown*, said libraries are among the most
important civic buildings and believed that they should be located on central
sites of great civic importance. Mr. Griffiths mentioned that recommending
Site 8 to City Council would be categorically wrong. He provided three
possible alternative central sites and illustrated each with coloured plans.
(Held on file with the CEO). Mr. Griffiths said the design should be
the result of an international competition. He stated that the site at 557
Wellington is far too remote from the city’s traditional core. The Central
Library deserves a far more central site bound by Wellington Street, the Canal,
Somerset Street, and Bronson Avenue.
Renée
Ladouceur-Beauchamp, Executive Director, Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre (EORC) spoke in
favour of the recommended site and to the importance of the proximity to
light rail. She made parallels between the Central Library process with the
EORC’s recent relocation to the Gloucester Center near light rail transit.
She said a new site can help connect people from all areas of the city, and
light rail transit will significantly change movement trough the city.
In response to a question
from Trustee McKenney on affordability concerns for residents who cannot pay
for light rail transit, Ms. Ladouceur-Beauchamp stated that EORC provides free
passes to facilitate residents who need the service. She said it will be key
to continue to find ways to assist residents in accessing the library
regardless of their ability to pay.
Edward Pollitt, retired planner and a
resident from Kanata, expressed concerns regarding the City’s preferred site
saying it is not in the heart of core and is difficult to access. He
provided alternate options (Confederation Park, Major’s Hill Park) stating
there is significant development potential that have been overlooked.
Jevone Nicholas, Bookmark
the Core*
said the recommendation for a LeBreton Flats site for Ottawa’s new Central
Library is based on viewing the library as a driver for private-sector
development, rather than seeing it as a public institution to meet the needs
of city residents. Mr. Nicholas provided in detail, statements that Site 6 deserved
higher ranking than it received based on accessibility factors alone. He raised
concerns with bias in the assessment of the recommended Site 8, as well as
Site 9 in comparison to Site 6. Mr. Nicholas said there was support for
alternate sites in the downtown core at the councillor-led public meeting on
January 18, 2017. He urged the Board not to rush the decision and to take
the time to properly evaluate the prospective sites and get the $100M
decision right.
Mike Pyndus* questioned the 132,000
square feet footprint for the new Central Library. He opined that OPL did
not prepare an appropriate space analysis and instead submitted unsolicited
programming wish lists. He provided information regarding site options,
specifically site versus size, stating it would be less costly to reduce the
size of the library, and that other sites would have been eligible. Mr.
Pyndus expressed confusion with the desire to sell off tangible assets (the
current facility) as a revenue stream, stating the revenue can be used for
something other than a library.
Mariam Zohouri did not support the
recommendations and spoke on the site selection and the decision-making
process to-date. She commented on OPL staff not being in attendance at the
councillor-led session on January 18, 2017 and asked the Board to delay their
decision. Ms. Zohouri pointed out that many people walk to the library and
many will not be able to afford a transit pass. She indicated that the Board
cannot isolate the most vulnerable people in the city, and urged the Board to
reconsider the location because of accessibility issues. She said people can
disagree respectfully with what was proposed.
Trustee Wilkinson
indicated she had planned to attend the councillor-led session but as she had
another event was unable to, and further commented that there are often valid
reasons for why staff are not in attendance.
Chair Tierney thanked the
delegation for her comments and urged her to continue to attend future
meetings.
Deirdre Foucauld addressed her concerns
regarding the preferred site and played a video by Bookmark the Core. (Held
on file with the Chief Executive Officer)
Peter Thorn, resident of Centretown, disagreed
with the OPL-LAC partnership. He recognized the efforts of Councillor
McKenney of organizing the only public meeting for consultation and expressed
concern that the OPL Board Chair and staff were not in attendance. Mr.
Thorne expressed his views on accessibility and financial aspects of the
proposed site. He said Centretown will be losing a branch and would like
another site proposed.
Joan Spice, Centretown
Citizens Community Association, spoke in opposition of the proposed site. She
believed that there are compelling public policy reasons for locating the new
Central Library in Centretown, such as vulnerable and disadvantaged persons, population
and density figures, and accessibility. She quoted an article in the Globe
and Mail from December. Ms. Spice said her principal objective is that the
new Central Library should be located in Centretown, supporting Site 6. She
concluded her presentation by providing numbers at a glance.
Joyce Crago, a lawyer,
library customer, and resident near Albert and Bronson, indicated LeBreton
Flats is the wrong site. She respects the work that has been done to-date, and
voiced concerns regarding accessibility and problems with walking down the
steep hill, to the disadvantage this will cause for low-income people, and to
a Central Library that should go where people are, and not to where people
should be in the future.
Bonnie Mabee, a resident who lives on
eastern edge of Centretown, expressed concerns about the location for
the new Central Library. She said the core is served well with respect to
transit buses. Ms. Mabee discussed her concerns with the escarpment
indicating preference for a location that is less steep. She expressed worry
that LAC was only bringing the genealogy collection to the shared space and
that was not good enough for students. She urged the Board to have the
location closer to the core or consider a satellite branch at City Hall. Ms.
Mabee asked about the Technical High School opportunity as she believed it
would be offered for sale when decommissioned.
Chair Tierney said staff
will address the genealogy collection and Technical High School subjects
during the question period.
Stephen Thirlwall, a Centretown resident did
not support the location saying it is a 15-to 20-minute walk from where he
lives to Site 8 and the hill is not safe. He stated that approximately 75%
of people in Centretown will be denied access to the library and will be
losing their hub. Mr. Thirlwall asked why the library is being taken away
and being put in a peripheral area.
Peggy Coupland, a Centretown resident
expressed concerns with the proposed location, and indicated she did not
support it for accessibility reasons. She preferred Site 6 as it is flat,
near bus service, and future light rail transit.
Jared Denison said the site is not
accessible for people with disabilities. He felt that consultation was not
done for everyone; however, the meeting held on January 18, 2017 was well
received. Mr. Denison added that a library is needed between Bronson and
Elgin, and it should stay where there are people, not where people will be in
the future.
John Westeinde thanked OPL for the work
accomplished thus far. He said the common denominator today is
accessibility. He supported the discussion of Confederation Park but said
the library has no chance of being located there. Mr. Westeinde mentioned
that if t is to go at LeBreton Flats, the library would not be completed for
five years. He provided his views on walkability to Site 8, and to the
planning period of development. He asked why Site 9 would be $9M more,
indicating that the difference would be lower if the potential resale value
was included.
[*Individuals / groups marked with
an asterisk above either provided comments in writing or by email; all
submissions are held on file with the CEO.]
In addition to that
provided by the individuals marked with an asterisk above, written
correspondence was also submitted by the following, as noted:
·
Mr. Tom
Whillans, President, Centretown Citizens Community Association* (letter to
the Mayor and OPL Board dated 12 December 2016 in opposition to the future
Central Library being located outside of Centretown).
·
Stig Harvor and
Anthony Griffiths* (correspondence to Councillor Catherine McKenney and to
the OPL Board dated 2 January 2017 from concerned architects with respect to
a letter to the editor of the Ottawa Citizen published 31 December 2016,
which reads: “Why the library got it right with its new location”).
·
Yves Potvin*
(correspondence to Councillor Moffatt dated 20 January 2017 regarding the
City’s priorities and size of a new Central Library, and correspondence to
members of Council dated 19 January 2017 reiterating his concerns with the
proposed size of the new Central Library).
·
Marilyn Hart*
(correspondence to the Mayor and to the OPL Board dated 19 January 2017 with
respect to her personal review of Councillor McKenney’s councillor-led
meeting held in January and opposing the proposed site).
·
Alexander
Killby* (correspondence to Councillor McKenney and to the OPL Board dated 23 January
2017 in opposition to the architectural praise of the proposed main library
site).
·
Ms. Rosemary
Kralik* (correspondence dated 23 January 2017 in support of the proposed site
for the new Central library, adding that the location gives architectural
freedom to incorporate features not possible in higher density areas and
becomes a destination, a pivotal centre in the community close to the river.
She added that the site is large enough to allow a good balance of density
and visual relief without compromising existing parks).
·
Pat Zakaib*
(correspondence dated 30 January 2017 in support of the proposed site for the
new Central library, adding his opposition to the library in Confederation
Park).
·
Christian
Nicholson* (correspondence dated 30 January 2017 regarding concerns with the
pending decision that the new library will be at LeBreton Flats when there
are several options within blocks of the current location).
·
Alexandre
Laquerre* (correspondence dated 30 January 2017 voicing strong support for
the central library to stay in Centretown).
·
Katrina Barclay*
(correspondence dated 30 January 2017 in support of the proposed plan for the
new facility at 557 Wellington Street).
·
Jenna Sudds*
(correspondence dated 30 January 2017 in support of the location of 557
Wellington Street for the new Central Library).
·
Stig Harvor*
(correspondence dated 30 January 2017 in opposition to the proposed site)
·
Sinjin
Dixon-Warren* (correspondence dated 31 January 2017 expressed support for the
location in LeBreton Flats).
·
Carl Frizell*
(correspondence dated 31 January 2017 in support of the responsible and economical
choice of the proposed central location at 557 Wellington Street).
·
Erin Junker*
(correspondence dated 31 January 2017 in support of the location on
Wellington Street, and the value and potential it has for the City).
·
Michèle Lanoue*
(correspondence dated 31 January 2017 encouraging the Board to consider the
Tom Brown Arena location).
·
Alison De
Linden, Executive Coordinator, Centretown Community Health Centre
(correspondence dated 31January 2017 in opposition to the proposed site and
concerned about the possibility of the Central Library moving away from the
downtown core).
·
Michael Powell,
President, Dalhousie Community Association (correspondence dated 31 January
2017 in support of proposed location, recognition of the future potential;
however, raising concerns of reduction in level of service for those who live
and work in Centretown).
In addition to correspondence listed above, 99 pieces
of written correspondence were submitted through the Central Library
Development Project email address.
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