The Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool will reopen on Saturday. (Rick Conrad)
UPDATED Feb. 21, 2:17 p.m.
The Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool is finally ready to welcome patrons to its new location.
It will reopen for full service on Saturday (Feb. 22) at 10 a.m. The library will be open six days a week and closed on Mondays.
The interim location at 54 Harley Umphrey Dr. is in the call centre building off White Point Road.
The branch has been closed since Dec. 15, when staff packed up the library’s collection to prepare for the move from downtown Liverpool.
Ashley Nunn-Smith, the CEO and chief librarian of South Shore Public Libraries, told QCCR that she can’t wait for people to see the space.
“Very exciting. I know it’s been a long wait, longer than we had hoped but we are ready and we are ready to open,” Nunn-Smith said.
“People will be genuinely happy to see inside. There’s a lot of cozy chairs and nooks for reading. But really, the space is so much more than just the books. You can come in and warm up from the cold, you can chat with the staff, you can attend programs, so we’re really excited to be able to offer all of the services again.”
The lease at the former location on Old Bridge Street was due to expire at the end of December. So the Region of Queens decided to put the library, on an interim basis, in the municipally owned Liverpool Business Development Centre off White Point Road.
The region budgeted up to $1.26 million for renovations to the space.
Many residents were concerned that it’s not easy to walk to, with no sidewalks and limited lighting.
Queens County Transit and the South Shore Public Libraries have teamed up to offer free transportation from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday from the farmers market location on the Liverpool waterfront to Harley Umphrey Drive.
The Raddall family has agreed to allow the library to continue to use the Raddall name for five years because they’ve been assured by the region that the municipality is working on finding a permanent, central location for a new, purpose-built library.
A few final touches and the Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool will be ready to open at its new interim location. (Rick Conrad)
UPDATED THURSDAY, 9:55 A.M.
The library in Liverpool is close to reopening, but a few things have to be ironed out first.
Ashley Nunn-Smith, CEO and chief librarian of South Shore Public Libraries, told QCCR on Wednesday that a final fire inspection has to be done, and internet issues have to be addressed.
“The construction work itself is finished. Books are on the shelves. We are waiting on a few very key things. … Once those are resolved, any day now I hope to be able to open.”
The Thomas H. Raddall branch has been closed since Dec. 15, when staff packed up the library’s collection to prepare for the move from downtown Liverpool to a building about 1.5 kilometres away.
The lease at the former location was due to expire at the end of December. So the Region of Queens decided to put the library, on an interim basis, in the municipally owned Liverpool Business Development Centre off White Point Road.
The region budgeted up to $1.26 million for renovations to the space.
Many residents were concerned that it’s not easy to walk to, with no sidewalks and limited lighting.
Queens County Transit and the South Shore Public Libraries have teamed up to offer free transportation from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday from downtown Liverpool to the new location.
“If it’s really successful, I’m sure we can talk about expanding it,” Nunn-Smith said. “We could potentially look at adding other times or other days of the week.”
Nunn-Smith says she empathizes with library patrons who can’t wait for the branch to reopen.
“I know everyone’s really excited to get inside and to have a library in their own community again. We had hoped to be open by now. … We’re really excited to welcome the patrons back in too.”
Nunn-Smith said the new location will keep the Thomas H. Raddall name, after Raddall’s family were assured that regional council is committed to finding a more central, permanent location.
The municipality’s library steering committee had recommended that a new library be built near Queens Place Emera Centre, close to downtown Liverpool. Raddall’s grandson Tom was the honorary chairman of that committee, but resigned after councillors twice rejected the committee’s recommendations.
Councillors decided last February to move the library to the new interim location instead.
“With the new council, I feel the attitude has changed,” Nunn-Smith says.
“I’ve met with the mayor and Coun. (Courtney) Wentzell who is on the library board. And they too agree that a true community hub should be at the centre of the community where the people are. And so with that in mind and all of us being aligned, the library board, the Raddall family and the council on the direction of the library, it seems like a positive turn.
“So because of that, Tom Raddall … has agreed to retain the Thomas H. Raddall Library name for another five years.”
Nunn-Smith said she believes “the best case scenario” would be five to seven years before a brand new library could be built.
Despite the delays in reopening in the interim location, she says she believes patrons will enjoy the new space.
It’s bigger and brighter, with a large expandable program room as well as a community kitchen. It’s also fully accessible.
And it will feature raised garden beds outside, thanks to funding from the Nova Scotia government.
“I love the inside of the space. It’s wonderful. And even the green space directly outside of the library is going to be great too.
“The programming spaces are outstanding. I would love to have such programming spaces in our other locations. … It’s going to be our first branch with a community kitchen, so we can run cooking programs and other types of baking and cooking demonstrations. It’s just going to be wonderful.”
Nunn-Smith said she hopes the Thomas H. Raddall Library is back in business in a few days.
But regardless, a grand reopening is planned for Sat., April 5.
“So a ribbon cutting and story times and music and some cake, that type of big celebration day, so that everyone who hasn’t checked it out yet can come and celebrate the new space with us.”
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.
Drag performers Rhett Torical and Rouge Fatale read to kids and adults as part of Reading with Royalty at the Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool on Thursday. (Rick Conrad photo)
Drag queen story hour made its fabulous debut in Liverpool on Thursday as part of Pride celebrations on the South Shore.
The event, dubbed Reading with Royalty, featured Rouge Fatale, one of Nova Scotia’s best known drag performers, and drag king Rhett Torical.
They were at the Thomas H. Raddall Library to read to and sing along with kids and their parents, grandparents and others.
Two hecklers stood outside the library and yelled insults at Rouge and Rhett as they entered the building. The women later came into the library to watch. Staff had to ask one of them to leave after she appeared to be taking photos of the crowd.
Still, about 20 people showed up to listen to Rouge and Rhett read from such books as My Shadow is Purple, Bathe the Cat, Julian is a Mermaid and The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish, which was also one of the singalongs.
Here are some sounds from the afternoon and reaction from those who were there.
David Trueman, branch supervisor of Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool, speaks to a group this week at a public consultation session on the design of the temporary location of the library. Elise Johnston, accessibility and inclusion co-ordinator with the Region of Queens, is leading the sessions. (Rick Conrad)
It may not be the location that many Liverpool library users want, but they say they’re going to make the best of it.
The Region of Queens has been holding public consultations this week on the design of the temporary location for the Thomas H. Raddall Library.
Region of Queens councillors voted in February to move the library to the Liverpool Business Development Centre on White Point Road by the end of the year.
The current lease at the Rossignol Centre in downtown Liverpool expires Dec. 31. Sherman Hines, who owns the building, also has it up for sale.
The municipality owns the business development centre. It currently houses the Global Empire call centre and Belliveau Veinotte accountants.
It’s supposed to be a temporary location, while the municipality works on a long-term plan.
Councillors set aside $1,050,000 for renovations to the 6,500 square-foot space, though staff said it could cost as much as $1.26 million.
Municipalities look after buildings and furniture for libraries, while the provincial government provides about 70 per cent of overall funding.
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.
The library steering committee twice recommended a site near Queens Place Emera Centre, with councillors ultimately nixing that plan both times.
Many residents at a December meeting told councillors 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.
But with a deadline to vacate the current space looming, the region decided the call centre was the best option for now.
This week, about 40 people have attended public consultations so far. The last one is on Saturday at the library at 12:30.
The proposed design includes two large program rooms that can be combined into one, a teen room with soundproofing for a miniature recording studio. That room could also be used as a smaller meeting area. The new space also features an open area for kids, as well as a large kitchen and expanded washroom facilities.
That’s in addition to the large area set aside for the library’s current collection of books and other materials.
Elise Johnston, the region’s accessibility and inclusion co-ordinator, is leading the consultations with David Trueman, the library’s branch supervisor.
Cathie Pearl-Wentzell was at one of the sessions on Thursday. The Brooklyn resident says her family have been library users since she moved to the area in 1977.
“I think it was very informative, I learned a lot, it’s good to have the opportunity to have input,” she said.
She said she’s disappointed in the location, but there are benefits to the new space.
“I’ve come to accept that, vehemently opposed (to the location), let my councillor know, let the mayor know. My question is can they tear this building down and build the library on this site? I don’t know.
“I think it’s going to have a lot of opportunities. Parking being one, it’s going to be much more accessible, much more comfortable climate-control-wise. And everybody has the best interest at heart, so you can’t go wrong with somebody with their hearts in the right places.”
Melissa Swatsenbarg of Liverpool uses the library at least once a twice a week. She said she likes being able to give her input on the design.
“It kind of culminates all the things I’ve been listening to over the past year and a half because I’ve been talking to a lot of people over the past year and a half about it.
“I like the final idea of having a fairly large kitchen and a designated teen space. I like the plans to have a more open children’s section.”
She said she likes the more modern amenities of the new space, even though the location isn’t ideal.
“None of us are really thrilled we have to go all the way through town to get back out of town to go to it,” Swatsenbarg said.
“It’s kind of out of the way. And there are no sidewalks. My kids will bike into the library here. (Out there), it’s a very busy road and it’s not a very safe road trying to get up and around there. So in that aspect, it’s going to change how many kids I allow to take themselves to the library.”
Even though councillors decided to move the library to the call centre space, they also acknowledged that a newly elected council in October could tackle the issue of a new library. But that could still take at least three to five years to happen.
In the meantime, some at the consultations suggested keeping up the pressure on council candidates for a new library in a more central location.
The last public consultation session is at the library on Old Bridge Street on Saturday from 12:30 to 1:30. People can also email accessibility@regionofqueens.com with their suggestions.
The public will soon have a chance to give their feedback on the design of the temporary library location in Liverpool.
Region of Queens councillors voted in February to move the Thomas H. Raddall Library to the Liverpool Business Development Centre on White Point Road by the end of the year. The current lease at the Rossignol Centre in downtown Liverpool expires at the end of December.
The municipality owns the business development centre. It currently houses the Global Empire call centre and Belliveau Veinotte accountants.
It’s supposed to be a temporary location, while the municipality works on a long-term plan for the library.
Councillors set aside $1,050,000 for renovations to the 9,200 square-foot space, though staff said it could cost as much as $1.26 million.
Elise Johnston, accessibility and inclusion co-ordinator, told councillors this week that she proposes full public input on the design for the temporary space.
‘We’re not talking about all the options. We’re not talking about the location, we’re talking about balancing the programmatic needs and the sizes of the room.
“Does the public want to see two bigger program rooms together that can join as one making sure one has a kitchen, or do we want to see more of a teen space or more of a theatre space?”
Johnston is recommending at least one morning and one evening in-person “working design” session, where options can be discussed and manipulated in real time using 3D modelling. She also suggested livestreaming the sessions on Facebook.
The meetings would be held at the current library’s location at 145 Old Bridge St., in Liverpool, so that people can get a sense of the space at the new place, Johnston said.
“We’re reusing a lot of the shelving and I think that’s a good way for people to visualize,” Johnston said.
Staff would continue to gather feedback for two weeks, she said, with a final layout being confirmed by mid-July.
Mayor Darlene Norman emphasized that everybody is welcome to attend the sessions and give their input.
District 6 Coun. David Brown said he liked the approach that Johnston proposed.
“I think having it interactive in the library space, it gives people a better chance of scale so they know what they’re getting.”
Councillors will vote on the motion at their June 11 meeting. The region would schedule the sessions as soon as they’re approved by council, promoting them with printed flyers and on social media, by email and announcements on QCCR.
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.”
Local historian Kathy Stitt told the stories of three Queens County women on Wednesday at the Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)
An internationally renowned hunting and fishing guide, a celebrated historian and educator, and an African missionary. They all travelled and made their mark on the world.
And they were all women from Queens County.
Local historian Kathy Stitt was at the Thomas H. Raddall in Liverpool on Wednesday to tell the stories of these three remarkable women. Stitt worked for 27 years at Perkins House Museum and the Queens County Museum before retiring last year.
She began the series in 2022 to highlight some of the local women who made their mark on history, and to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8.
“A community, whether it’s made of people that have been here all their lives, or somebody that arrived yesterday, they can’t be part of a community if you don’t know where it comes from,” Stitt said in an interview afterward.
The three women Stitt talked about on Wednesday were internationally known outdoorswoman Laura Wamboldt, noted historian and author Janet Mullins, and educator and missionary Diadem Bell.
Wamboldt was born in 1915 in Molega Mines. She and her husband Laurie opened the Ponhook Lodge and Cabins in 1947, now known as Ponhook Lodge Campground. But before that, they made names for themselves at outdoor living shows in the U.S.
Laura Wamboldt was a passionate outdoorswoman, hunter and fisher.
“And she was an international star,” Stitt told the group at the library. “People used to go to these from different parts of the United States to see Laura Wamboldt. This amazing woman. She was like the Annie Oakley of the outdoor shows. She could do all these sports that the men were doing.”
Between the ages of 22 and 32, she won four consecutive shooting competitions at these annual shows, beating men every time.
She was also one of the first licensed women guides in Nova Scotia.
Her husband died in 1968 at age 57. But Laura continued to guide, hunt and fish into her 80s. She died in 2006 at 90 years old.
“And this woman had a passion for the outdoors, which she shared with her family, which she shared with her husband and fortunately in the ‘30s and ‘40s, she shared with the world.”
Janet Mullins, who was born in 1863, was a passionate educator and historian who was still teaching into her 70s.
She was a friend of Thomas Raddall and one of the people who began the Queens County Historical Society in 1929. She also wrote a history column for the Liverpool Advance from 1935 to 1941.
“At the age of 27, she goes to Dalhousie University and gets her full teaching certificate. It was the highest level of teaching you could get and she brings her knowledge back to Liverpool. She becomes a female vice-principal which was very unusual back then. Her great triumph happened in 1941 when she wrote her book called Some Liverpool Chronicles.”
The third woman Stitt talked about was Diadem Bell. But she was also the most difficult to get a complete picture of, Stitt said, until she found an old 16-page pamphlet titled Miss Diadem Bell: As We Knew Her in a thrift store in Lunenburg.
“And there was her story. This is a woman’s story and it’s a complete story.”
The 16-page pamphlet on the life of Diadem Bell.
Born in Milton in 1870, Bell was precocious but driven. She grew up to be a physically strong woman who became a much-loved teacher in Western Head.
“By 1902, she had explored everything she could do in Canada. And she joined the mission service” to Angola. In the early 1900s, travel was a trial. And getting to Africa was no easy feat. But she returned for almost 20 years, even during the First World War.
From 1902 to 1923, she worked at schools in the African country, where she also “made an intense effort” to learn the local language.
She would return to Canada for regular breaks from her work and to raise money for the missions. By 1923, she was travelling in Cobourg, Ont., where she died from appendicitis.
Stitt says she’s fascinated by Bell’s story and her thirst for adventure.
“Travel was really hard. We didn’t get a railway until 1897. You were born in this area, you stayed in this area, you worked in this area, you married somebody in this area, you died in this area. And even to get to Ontario was amazing. But Ontario, London, Portugal, and then to Africa, it’s wow, it’s absolutely amazing.”
Debbie Ripple of Liverpool was one of the people at the afternoon talk. She said she loved hearing the women’s stories.
“It’s just really great to hear where they started from and how long ago and what their lives were like and how different but how similar it can be to us today, these experiences that they have. There are strong women everywhere, … great stories.”
Kathy Stitt will be giving another local history session at the library on April 10, on the history of the cookbook, from cuneiform tablets to modern books like Company’s Coming.
