OUR NEW PUBLIC LIBRARY

April 6. Why the need to save the library.

It needs a new home. The Town hasn’t the money to provide one. So we will.

The backstory:

The current home of the Hantsport Public Library (HPL) is the Hantsport School. In a room shared with the school’s library. It has been in this school since it was built by the Town in 1961. 

In 1989 the Town relinquished control of the school to the Kings County District School Board which in turn became part of the amalgamated Annapolis Valley Regional School Board in 1996. Throughout this the HPL has remained in the school.

Maintenance of the HPL is taken care of by the AVRSB. This has been a very good arrangement for the Town. Typically, the costs of having a Branch of the Annapolis Valley Regional Library are shared between the host municipality and the AVRL. The host provides the structure and the furnishings, and covers the costs of maintenance. 

As well, like every town/municipality in the Valley, Hantsport pays an annual mandatory contribution to the AVRL that subsidizes the AVRL’s operating costs. The AVRL provides each Library Branch with staff, all its library materials, the computers, and the internet connectivity. 

For the past 18 years the HPL has enjoyed the hospitality of the AVRSB and Hantsport has only had the mandatory contribution expense to worry about. That hospitality has come to an end.

The Hantsport School is undergoing renovations. In planning these renovations the AVRSB let the Town know that, should the Town like to have its Library in the school it will have to cover the $170,000 cost of the renovations to accommodate that … and contribute to the yearly maintenance of the space as well.

In July of 2013 the Hantsport Town Council unanimously voted “No” to that proposal. The Hantsport Public Library must be out of the school by August 2015.

To date:

On October 7, 2013 Hantsport’s Library Advisory Committee (LAC) had its first meeting. Represented on the committee were Hantsport’s Town Council, the Municipal Councils of West Hants and Kings County, Glooscap First Nation, the AVRL, and the citizenry of Hantsport. The LAC looked at all possible options for relocating the HPL … including the option of not relocating at all. A new building on Town-owned land? Purchased land?

Renovate a Town-owned property? A purchased property? A donated property? 

After all was said and done, the option that was most feasible, structurally and financially, was to renovate the Town-owned Royal Canadian Legion building at 10 Main Street. De-commissioned in 2011 the Lucknow Branch 109 is used a few hours a week for Tae Kwon Do and exercise classes and is otherwise empty. 

On entering the building one can take a short flight of stairs up or down to access the two levels of the building. The LAC would like to house the HPL in the large open space of the upper level. The lower level has two rooms. The one is currently being used for storage

by the Hantsport and Area Historical Society (HAHS) and the other, which includes a functioning kitchen, is unused. To satisfy the building codes, the requirements of the AVRL and to make the Legion wheelchair accessible the LAC estimates, after much research and consulting, that the renovations will cost approximately $175,000.

On March 1, 2014 the Save Hantsport Public Library (SHPL) fundraising group met for the first time. A subcommittee of the LAC they are volunteers from the community determined to raise the necessary dollars to renovate the Legion and save the Hantsport Public Library.

On April 1st the Town Council passed the motion to support the proposal to renovate the Legion to be the Library with the stipulation that the money must be raised prior to starting the renovation.

Let’s get started!

-submitted.

COW meeting March 18/14

Hantsport's town council passed unanimously Deputy Mayor Harold Bulger's motion that the library relocation's committee “continue with the understanding that this project will not be started until all monies have been secured at no extra cost to the town, with the exception of monies already budgeted by the Town of Hantsport to complete the project.” The large number of citizens who are participating in the relocation committee shows great interest in the project, according to DM Bulger.

The committee of the whole hears presentations. Town council makes decisions. It will decide on the future of the library at its next meeting on April 1 at 7 PM at the town hall. 

The library committee made its report at the March committee of the whole meeting. It estimates the cost of relocating the library to be $145,000. The committee will look for $10,000 + maintenance costs from Hantsport, $15,000 from West Hants, $30,000 from Kings County, and $10,000 from Glooscap First Nations. The amount of contributions is based on usage. The Hantsport Library has 917 active members of which 601 are from Hantsport. The Friends of the Hantsport Library will raise the balance. An additional $55,000 will be needed later for cosmetic changes.

After examining all the available buildings in the town, the committee chose the Legion building as the best location for the library. The town owns it. It is in good shape. The upper level is solid and can handle the load of a library. The lower level had rooms which can be used for the Hantsport & Area Historical Society and for meetings. And it has a kitchen.  

In order to adapt the split-level building for the library, a three-stop vertical lift costing $28,500 is necessary for access to all levels. Other major expenses include $20,500 for adjustable shelving, $12,500 for furniture, and $12,000 for architectural services.

The new library is scheduled to open in August, 2015 - the  Annapolis Valley School Board's deadline. The library could have stayed in the school at a cost of $175,000 + maintenance to the town. 

Comment posted Jan. 27/14

I would like to make a comment that seems to be missing from all the information regarding the Hantsport Public Library. Council is looking to find a new home for the Hantsport PUBLIC Library only. The school library will still be within the school for student use.
Regarding having the students come over to the new Hantsport Public Library location? The school has, in the past, made efforts to take the children out of the school for educational and physical activities and may well find benefits in allowing field trips to the larger Hantsport Public Library.
This is where the Friends of the Hantsport Public Library will continue their outstanding involvement and programming.
I see this opportunity for a dedicated public space for the Hantsport Public Library to be only positive and am excited to be on the committee finding ways to make this happen. Councilor Harold Bulger is chairing the committee with representation from all partners in and around our area as well as Francis Newman - President of the AVRL. Have faith that the interests of the citizens are first and foremost to providing the best possible services we (town and council) can in these changing times.
Councilor Margot Bureaux

JAN. 14 A Replacement Library in Hantsport?   Why?

For over half a century, we have had a Public Library in Hantsport.  It is one of the 11 Branches of the Annapolis Valley Regional Library (AVRL).   To have a Branch here, the Town of Hantsport must provide both the space and the furniture used by the library, and must also maintain it (heat, light, cleaning, repairs, etc.)   [Note: The Town does not pay the library staff, nor buy the books or computers; they are paid for by AVRL.]

Fifty-three years ago, in 1960, when Hantsport need a new School, We had our own School Board.  So the Town built the school, paid for it out of our Town taxes and owned it outright.  Townsfolk insisted that the new school contain room for the Public Library.  And so, from the beginning, the Town of Hantsport provided space inside its school for that Library, and it has remained there for over 50 years.   

However, Hantsport no longer has its own School Board, and now the Town does not own the school.  The school is now 54 years old, and is going to be renovated.  The Public Library could not remain in the school unless the Town agreed to pay $170,000 to the School Board.   Due to that high cost, and also because of the serious limitations on Aopen-hours@ (which always happen when you have a general public library inside a primary school), Council unanimously voted ANo@ on July 25, 2013.   Therefore, the Hantsport Branch of the AVRL must vacate the school before end of August, 2015 (18 months from now).

Then Council set up a Library Advisory Committee , which began meeting on Oct. 7, 2013, to explore “options and costs for providing public library services” in Hantsport.   This Committee includes members from the Town, Kings County, West Hants and Glooscap First Nations, because folks from all those areas use the Hantsport Library.

Because of the money problems facing the Town, rather than waste time talking about a new building, the Committee looked at existing available buildings in Hantsport, particularly those already owned by the Town, which could be used for a replacement library.  The Canadian Legion Building@ at #10 Main Street quickly attracted their attention.  In November, the Committee unanimously voted to recommend to Council that we focus our work on that building, because of: Town ownership, great location and its structural integrity.  [The Legion building has 1400 square feet upstairs – somewhat larger than the present library -- and was very well built.]   Since then, the Committee has been nailing down what renovations would have to be made to the upstairs (e.g., a better ventilation system, wheelchair ramps, etc.), and what they would cost.   On Jan. 7, 2014, Council directed that this investigation continue, and that preliminary plans and estimated costs for the necessary renovations be drawn up and presented to Council for review when they are ready.  Then Council will take a decision as to whether or not to continue with the “Replacement Library Project.”        

Joe Foy, Hantsport,  member, Town of Hantsport Library Advisory Committee

Jan. 7 Town Council meeting: council supports considering of the legion building as site for new library.

I would like to pass a motion for the council to accept the town owned Legion building to be used as the new location for the Hantsport Public Library due to the fact we, the town, have to vacate the present Hantsport Public Library location of Hantsport School by August 2015, at the latest conditional upon approval by Council of all building renovation plans and estimates.

Councillor Margot Bureau presented the above motion at the January Hantsport Town Council meeting. Deputy Mayor Harold Bulger, chair of the town's Library Committee, was absent. Both councillors are members of the committee. Mayor Rob Zwicker stated that the committee's document was weak and that council needed a proper study. Councillor Faye Hill agreed and saw only blanks and questions. CLLR Bureau stated that council's failure to pass the motion would result in delays when timing was strategic.  She assured council that the motion did not involve a commitment from council. Council passed the motion by a vote of 4:1. The mayor voted against it.

CLLR Bureau then made this second motion:

I would like to put another motion on the floor to create a steering committee to draw up final costs for the project and make presentations to, not only the Hantsport council, but to West Hants council, Kings County Council and Glooscap First Nation council, because of their citizens using this facility, where partnerships will be sought to aide Hantsport of soul responsibility for the costs of renovation and the move to the new location with Councilor Harold Bulger as Chair.

It passed unanimously. 

The next step is for the steering committee headed by CLLR Bulger to develop concrete costs for only the bare essential renovations. Costs for the so-called frills will be estimated later.