Some of the new furniture at the new location of the Liverpool library. (Region of Queens photo)
The library in Liverpool is getting closer to reopening in its new temporary location.
The Region of Queens has been posting updates on its website as work has progressed at the Liverpool Business Development Centre on Harley Umphrey Drive, off White Point Road.
South Shore Public Libraries has not given a specific date for the branch to reopen. But the region says on its site that it’s likely to reopen by mid-January.
There’s still a lot of work to do. Workers are putting final touches on HVAC ductwork, sprinklers, electricity to the front desk, lighting, plumbing and the new kitchen.
Shelving units and some other furniture have been moved into the 6,500-square-foot space.
The region budgeted up to $1.26 million for the renovations to the empty space at the call centre building. The community was consulted on the design of the space.
A library steering committee had recommended a new library be built near Queens Place Emera Centre. But that was rejected twice by councillors.
The location on Harley Umphrey Drive is supposed to be a short-term home while council works on a longer-term solution.
Library officials got about 200 responses to a survey in the fall asking for suggestions on a possible new name for the new location. They haven’t revealed if the library’s name will change from the Thomas H. Raddall Library. That decision rests with the board of South Shore Public Libraries.
The library in Liverpool will be reopening in the new year in the Liverpool Business Development Centre off White Point Road. (Rick Conrad photo)
As the Liverpool library gets ready to move to its new location by the end of the year, the Region of Queens is beginning work to restart a library committee.
It will be chaired by Mayor Scott Christian and include District 3 Coun. Courtney Wentzell.
Establishing council’s various committees will be overseen by the region’s new municipal clerk. Pam Lovelace was hired a week ago to do that job.
Christian said she will be coming up with terms of reference for various committees, including the library committee.
“I think the initial work of that will be determining what the current need and purpose and mandate of a public committee associated with the library would look like and then constructing a terms of reference and populating a committee from there.”
Once that happens, the region would likely ask for members of the public to sit on the committee.
Regional councillors voted in February to move the Thomas H. Raddall Library to the Liverpool Business Development Centre off the White Point Road. Commonly known as the call centre building, it wasn’t the first choice for a new library site.
The previous council voted twice against the library steering committee’s recommendation to build a new library near Queens Place Emera Centre.
Many residents told councillors at a meeting last December that they did not want the library at the call centre site, which is outside of town in an area with no sidewalks and very little lighting.
The library’s lease at its current location downtown is up at the end of this year. So with time running out, councillors decided to move the library to the call centre building.
It’s supposed to be a short-term home while the newly elected council works on a longer-term solution.
The region is spending up to $1.26 million on renovations for the new library space. They had set aside $3 million in 2022 for a new library.
Library staff will close the current location on Dec. 15, and begin packing up their collections for the move.
No date has been set yet for the library’s reopening. But it’s on track to be early in the new year.
Library users in Liverpool are being encouraged to check out as many books and movies as they can carry before the Thomas H. Raddall location closes Dec. 15 to prepare for a move to its new location. (Rick Conrad)
Staff at the Thomas H. Raddall Library in downtown Liverpool are getting ready to move to their new location and they’re asking users to help lighten their load.
The library is encouraging people to take out as many books and movies as they like until the branch closes on Dec. 15.
Ashley Nunn-Smith, CEO and chief librarian of South Shore Public Libraries, says patrons also have an extra-long loan period to enjoy the extra books.
“All items that have been checked out this week until we close won’t be due back until Feb. 1, so folks are encouraged just to hold on to those,” Nunn-Smith says.
“We have canvas bags to hand out. And we’re encouraging people to check out as many books and movies as they can carry to their vehicle to help us lighten the load so that there are less items on the shelves to pack into boxes.”
The library’s lease at its current location at the Rossignol Cultural Centre in Liverpool expires at the end of December.
In Nova Scotia, municipalities look after buildings and furniture for libraries, while the provincial government provides about 70 per cent of overall funding for staffing and other expenses.
Region of Queens councillors voted in February to move the library to the municipally owned Liverpool Business Development Centre off the White Point Road, two kilometres outside the downtown.
It’s supposed to be a temporary location, but users fear the library will stay there. The region is spending between $1.1 and $1.26 million on renovations to the 6,500-square-foot space.
Nunn-Smith says she’s looking forward to the library’s newer, bigger home and the opportunities it will create for programs and the community.
“Our current space in Liverpool has two program rooms and they’re often both in use. And this space will have two program rooms with a wall that can be removed between the two for those larger programs that get big attendance, as well as a kitchen and a teen space and a soundproof meeting pod. So we’ll be able to offer more spaces, a mix of quiet spaces, and fun kid-friendly spaces, (where) the current location is limited.”
She said it will be the first library branch on the South Shore with a dedicated space for teens.
Nunn-Smith said it was important for the library to involve the community as much as possible in the move.
That’s why they asked the public for input on a new name, if they decide to change it from the Thomas H. Raddall Library.
They got about 200 responses. People could choose from a suggested list or write in their own choice.
Nunn-Smith said they got a lot of good suggestions – and only one Booky McBookface.
“I had warned the board when you let the internet name something, you might end up with a Boaty McBoatface. With that caveat, we did want to get that feedback from the public.”
The naming decision ultimately rests with the library board. So, no Booky McBookface branch in Liverpool.
“I can’t see that one moving forward,” Nunn-Smith says, laughing.
Nunn-Smith says that after the Liverpool branch closes on Dec. 15, staff will begin boxing up the remaining collections for transport to the new location.
“We have a lot of staff coming in that first week after we close. I’m confident we’ll be able to get that (packing) done, and hopefully said and done before the holidays so the staff can relax and not have that worry hanging over them.”
An opening date hasn’t been set yet, but Nunn-Smith said the library will let people know as soon as they are ready to reopen.
Spending is up about $4 million from last year, to $29,848,303. The region’s water utility reported a $442,122 deficit.
Mayor Darlene Norman said in an interview that it was important to councillors not to increase the tax rate.
“We live in a great county and the budget reflects the fact that we are moving ahead,” she said.
“Many things in the budget remain the same. We’ve increased funding for fire departments for their truck purchases. The cost of those trucks is astronomical and we know how as volunteers how hard they work.
“It’s a good budget, it recognizes some requests from all parts of our county.”
It also raised the household income threshold for the low-income tax exemption by $5,000. Property owners with a total income of $35,000 or less can qualify for up to $400 off their tax bill. The tiered structure gives the highest break for the lowest income.
“We understand that people financially struggle,” Norman said, “which is why … we increased the amount of money that people can make in order to claim a reduction on their taxes, … which is very generous, I believe, for a municipality of our size.”
The region reported a $644,000 surplus from last year, largely from rising property assessments, higher deed transfer tax revenue and unintended savings from unfilled staff positions.
The region’s capital plan is packed.
CAO Cody Joudry said in an interview that it addresses a lot of concerns around the municipality.
“In terms of capital budget, it’s expansion of water, wastewater, there’s a lot of safety improvements and upgrades and a lot of investment in infrastructure and community assets, so I think that’s pretty significant.”
A little more than $7.8 million of the $21.5-million capital budget for 24/25 is provincial funding. Almost $2.5 million is from federal sources. About $3.8 million is from long-term borrowing, while $3.53 million is from a combination of municipal reserves and municipal surplus.
In addition to the new pool and the water and sewer extension, some other capital projects include:
more work at Beach Meadows Beach to expand the parking lot, install sheltered picnic areas and improve environmental protections;
much-needed repairs and upgrades at the Old Burial Ground in Liverpool;
“There are things on there that are very important,” Norman said. “Of course, they will not all get done (this year), but by putting them on here, it shows that these are priorities and start them, do the best that you can do with them.”
Region of Queens CAO Cody Joudry and Mayor Darlene Norman before Tuesday’s council meeting. (Rick Conrad photo)
Library users in Liverpool will be checking out books in a new location by the end of the year.
Region of Queens councillors voted Tuesday night to move the Thomas H. Raddall library to the Liverpool Business Development Centre until a permanent site can be found and built.
The Global Empire call centre and Belliveau Veinotte accountants are the current tenants at the building, just off the White Point Road. The municipality owns the building.
The call centre currently uses about 18,000 square feet of the space, while Belliveau Veinotte leases 4,800. That leaves about 9,200 square feet for the library’s temporary location.
First, though, regional staff have to renovate to add washrooms and program rooms and to accommodate the library’s collection. The plan is to move the library there before the end of the current lease in December. It’s currently in the Rossignol Centre in downtown Liverpool, which is for sale.
Susan DeChamp, who was one of three members of the region’s library steering committee, was at the council meeting Tuesday evening. She said it’s probably the best option for now.
“So for what we have to work with, it’s not a bad blank slate,” she said in an interview after the meeting. “There is still the issue of some of our walking people getting to it. … There is some concern that library usage could suffer a bit for that. We need a library and this is our best option at this point.”
Finding a new home for the library has been fraught with delays and controversy since 2022, when the region allocated $3 million from an unexpected budget surplus to its construction. CAO Cody Joudry says a new library would likely cost much more than that.
The library steering committee twice recommended a site near Queens Place Emera Centre. Council rejected it the first time but decided to accept the recommendation a second time.
But councillors nixed that plan once more when they learned that connecting the site to existing road and infrastructure would cost close to a million dollars.
And then at a December meeting, after hearing from residents, councillors rejected a staff recommendation to move the library to the call centre building permanently.
District 4 Coun. Vicki Amirault, who chaired the library committee but voted against its recommendations, said Tuesday it’s a good solution to ensure library services continue.
“This has been a long process to say the least,” Amirault said. “It’s been quite a process but I just think we need to overhaul a little bit and move on.”
The vote on the temporary location was not unanimous. Mayor Darlene Norman voted against it. She said the region could have bought the building where the library is now, and keep it there until a developer could be found to put housing in that location.
“However, it was not a wish of council to do that,” she said.
“One would hope that during that refit that the CEO of the library and the library staff are consulted very closely and that we’re simply not creating office space, because it’s my feeling that once the library is there, the library will stay there. It would be very difficult for a future council to justify a million plus on renovation and then flip around to build a new library.”
CAO Cody Joudry estimates the work on the call centre will cost from $1.05 to $1.26 million. He says that he’ll work with the library’s CEO to ensure users and the rest of the community are consulted on the design and renovation of the space.
He said that with this council’s term ending in October, it would be difficult to complete consultation, site selection, design and tendering before then. Joudry suggests letting a newly elected council develop a long-term plan for the library.
But some councillors want the process to begin before a new council is elected in October.
District 6 Coun. David Brown said he wants public consultation to “start sooner rather than later” so that the incoming council will have something to work with.
Queens regional councillors will vote Tuesday on whether the Liverpool library will move to the Liverpool Business Development Centre until a new one can be built. (Rick Conrad photo)
The library in Liverpool may be moving temporarily to the Liverpool Business Development Centre on White Point Road.
Region of Queens councillors are set to vote on a recommendation Tuesday from CAO Cody Joudry to move the library to the same building that houses the Global Empire call centre and Belliveau Veinotte accountants. It would be there until a new site can be chosen, designed, financed and built.
The council meeting is set for 6 p.m. in council chambers on White Point Road.
The Thomas H. Raddall Library is currently in the Rossignol Centre on Old Bridge Street close to downtown Liverpool. The lease expires this December. Last year, the region spent $51,680 on rent.
The building owner Sherman Hines has been trying to sell it since at least November 2022. Joudry claims in his staff report that “staff are of the opinion the property is likely to be sold before the lease expires”.
Joudry is recommending that staff immediately begin renovations of the vacant space at the call centre building so that the library can move in by December. He estimates the renovations would cost from $1.05 to $1.26 million.
He is also suggesting that staff work with the library board to create a public consultation plan on a new library.
Councillors decided at a December meeting not to move the library to the call centre building permanently. Residents flooded them with emails and public comments about that plan. Most were against it.
Finding a new home for the library has been fraught with delays and controversy since the spring of 2022, when the region allocated $3 million from an unexpected budget surplus to its construction. Joudry says a new library would likely cost much more than that.
“Consulting the public about (the) library matter, selecting a site (and acquiring land if needed), creating design options, costing the project out, acquiring funding, tendering then constructing and moving the library will, realistically, take several years,” he says in his report.
“If council takes the recommendation to move the library as recommended, input and feedback would be beneficial to inform decisions on designs, renovations, and furnishing of the new space. As such the CAO and library CEO would work collaboratively to ensure the community and users are consulted on these matters.”
The library steering committee twice recommended an area by Queens Place Emera Centre for the relocation. Council declined the first time but decided to accept the committee’s recommendation a second time.
But council scuttled the plan once more when it learned that connecting the site to existing road and infrastructure would cost close to a million dollars.
At the December council meeting, many residents spoke against the plan to move the library to White Point Road permanently. Some also were worried that if the library moved there temporarily, council would stop looking for a new location.
Susan DeChamp was one of three community members appointed to the region’s library steering committee in April 2022. She spoke at the council meeting in December when staff were recommending the call centre building as the permanent site for the library.
“The main issue everyone had was the location itself,” she told councillors. “The first time we recommended the sledding hill location (near Queens Place), we had councillors object that you can’t move it that far from where it currently is and it would be unreasonable to expect library users to walk across the bridge. Now you’re asking library users to walk to the fringes of town where the street lamps are fairly far apart, it’s not brightly lit and there are no sidewalks.”
Jessica Joudrey and Tom Raddall resigned before the December meeting. Raddall told councillors that they were “frustrated and disillusioned”.
In response to public comments at the December meeting, District 6 Coun. David Brown summed up the general mood on council when he said that using the call centre only as a temporary space would give the region time to do more thorough public consultation.
“So I think we have to do a better job of getting more engagement from the public so that we can build what the public wants and needs,” he said.
“If we can make this a temporary, it gives us a chance to take a deep breath, look at it, analyze it and do that job right in the long run. And I think the public will be much better served if we get it done right rather than if we get it done quick.”
Joudry’s other recommendations include: a high-level public engagement process begin on what people want from a new library and a new advisory committee be formed with clear direction and support from council.
Global Empire call centre cubicles. Photo Ed Halverson
By Rick Conrad
The Global Empire call centre wants a break on its lease in the Liverpool Business Development Centre on White Point Road.
Mayor Darlene Norman says it’s because the company is using 18,000 of the 25,000 square feet it originally signed up for.
“So they wanted the lease amended to indicate that they’ll only be renting the space they are using. And that frees that space up for the Region of Queens to do with as it wishes.”
Council approved the amendments in principle. Norman said that when the new agreement is signed, it will be available to the public.
Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson
Region of Queens council will once again delay a decision on the location of a new library.
Municipal staff had recommended building at the Liverpool business development centre but after a flood of e-mail correspondence and public comments at the last meeting councillors decided to discuss the matter further. They have requested staff look into the feasibility of temporarily relocating the library at the business centre until a new permanent home can be found.
In the recommendations portion of the meeting council determined three properties were considered dangerous and unsightly and directed staff to take action.
Councillors also approved a staff request to apply for over $10 million from the provincial municipal capital growth program. The program supports municipalities’ efforts to address infrastructure needs.
Region of Queens would like to use the funding to support the Mount Pleasant service extension project which has three distinct components: transmission main upgrades, water lift station upgrades, and extending services to the growth area around Mount Pleasant. The current estimated costs of the project are in the neighborhood of $21.5 million.
Council then approved spending $750 as their contribution to co-host the New Year’s Day levee alongside Mersey branch 38 of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Council then moved into discussions, the first two items involved road names, the first being Lingley Lane and the second Audrelyn Lane. No other streets in the region currently have those names so they will be assigned to those streets at an upcoming meeting.
A discussion whether to support Mill Village fire department’s request to purchase a new truck for $620,000 will come back to council once the chiefs of the Regions’ five fire departments have an opportunity to discuss long term planning for replacement of their engines. The municipality contributes 25 percent of the cost to the fire service whenever a new truck is purchased.
Next municipal staff asked council to clarify the intent of the travel expense policy. Staff are looking to clarify the language and will bring the policy back for Council’s consideration at a future meeting.
The last item on the agenda was a request from the Kiwanis Club of Liverpool to take over operation of the concession stand at Queens Place.
Under the proposal, the club will be responsible for ensuring compliance with food safety certificates and insurance as well as obtaining a food operating permit, while operations will be handled by volunteers from the Queens County Blades and Queens County minor hockey association. Councillors were supportive of the idea as it would provide an opportunity for all three local organizations to raise money.
Regional staff will work out details with the Kiwanis organization and bring the item back before council at a future meeting.
Council only meets one time in December due to the holidays. The next council meeting will be January 9th at 9:00am in council chambers.
To hear the broadcast version of this story click play below.
A new library could come in at a third the cost of previous designs if Region of Queens Council decides to build it in the Liverpool Business Development Centre.
Projections from staff indicate refurbishing the building to accommodate relocation of the Thomas H Raddall library would cost in the neighbourhood of $1.15 million.
Home to Belliveau Veinotte accounting and Global Empire Call Centre, the building is commonly known as the call centre.
Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says the municipality is under pressure to find a new home for the regional library as the lease at its current location in the Rossignol Centre is up at the end of 2024.
“Library users will recognize the fact that our present library location is on really weak legs,” said Norman. “There are difficulties with the building sometimes with power and heat. The building’s been for sale now for, I would say a year. The price has been reduced and Council is getting very nervous that unexpectedly, we may be without a library site.”
The Region of Queens has wrestled with where to build a new library since it decided to allocate approximately $3 million from an unexpected budget surplus to its construction in spring of 2022.
The library site selection committee twice recommended an area by the sledding hill at Queens Place for the relocation. Council declined the first time but decided to accept the committee’s recommendation when it came around a second time.
But council scuttled the plan once more when it came to light that close to a million dollars was needed to connect the sledding hill library site to the existing road and infrastructure.
The proposed site at the Liverpool Business Development Centre meets most of the criteria established by the library site selection committee.
It has 6,000 square feet of available space, parking for 24 vehicles, outdoor lighting, outdoor space for programming, isn’t in a known flood zone and is already owned by the municipality.
However, the nearest sidewalk is 350 metres away and the site is currently not accessible by public transit, although the staff report mentions Queens County Transit could potentially extend service to the location.
Norman says the Centre has a lot of positives to offer but people may struggle to get to the site. She is concerned if the library is not centrally located, the Region could be creating a problem that will hound residents for years to come.
“We need to realize that if we spend a million, or a million and a half, or a million and three quarters, or whatever it takes, there’s no such thing as renovating, spending that much money and just making a temporary library,” said Norman.
“It will have program rooms, it will have its own washrooms, it will have [a] staff room, it will have its own entrance. When all of those things are put in there, I would say that is where the library is going to stay for decades.”
Council heard the presentation from staff and will decide at a future meeting whether they will go forward with the Call Centre location for the new library.
To hear the broadcast version of this story click play below.
Thomas H. Raddall Library. Photo credit Ed Halverson
Municipal staff have suggested building the new library close to the Region of Queens administrative office.
In a release issued, Thursday Nov 16, staff say the Liverpool Business Development Center, on Harley Umphrey Drive, “offers an ideal space, including ample parking, access to green spaces, and more room for programming.”
Another benefit of the proposed relocation is that the Liverpool Business Development Center is owned by the Region of Queens.
The library’s lease in their current location at the Rossignol Centre in Liverpool is set to expire at the end of 2024.
Municipalities are responsible for providing space to locate regional libraries in Nova Scotia. Finding a new site to relocate the library has proved contentious for Region of Queens Council.
In the 2022/23 budget, Council voted to use part of a $3 million surplus from the federal and provincial governments to build a new library. A committee was struck shortly after to recommend a site. Their unanimous choice was that it should be located at Queens Place.
Council initially rejected that option in June of 2022 and asked the committee to come back with another recommendation. Councillors raised concerns at the time that the location would be too remote for people coming from the Liverpool area.
In January 2023, the committee again determined the Queens Place site was best and this time Council approved their recommendation and agreed to build the new library on the Queens Place location.
However, in March, Council rescinded that approval in a recorded 5-3 vote after learning the estimated cost of extending the driveway to the proposed site would be $950,000.
If Council agrees to move the library to the Liverpool Business Development Center, it will join existing tenants Belliveau Veinotte Accountants and Global Empire Call Centre.
In July of this year, Council awarded a $2,031,273 tender to Sea Coast HVAC for the installation of a new HVAC system at the Liverpool Business Development Center.
A draft design concept for the new library will be presented to Council for its consideration. If they agree to move the library to the Liverpool Business Development Center more design work will be required before renovations begin.
To hear the broadcast version of this story click play below.
