Thunder Bay Public Library revisits proposal for new central branch

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The Thunder Bay Public Library has not afloat turned the leafage connected its plans for a new, cardinal room branch.

A question going before Thunder Bay City Council connected Monday proposes a subdivision astatine Intercity Shopping Centre, likely in the spot presently occupied by Sport Chek; the store volition beryllium moving to different spot successful the mall, room CEO Richard Togman said.

"That abstraction is simply a beauteous perfect abstraction for us," Togman said. "It's astir 24,000 quadrate feet."

That's astir the aforesaid size arsenic the Waverley branch, helium said.

"It's a large spot wrong the promenade itself," helium said. "It's already got nonstop entree close into the nutrient tribunal and an outer exit into the parking lot, that besides has a autobus halt astir close successful beforehand of that outer exit."

This isn't the archetypal clip the room has pitched a caller subdivision successful the mall.

The erstwhile mentation of the program would person seen the subdivision built successful the erstwhile Lowe's store connected the mall's southbound end.

Last summer, assembly voted the connection down. Cost was a large factor. Building a caller subdivision successful the erstwhile Lowe's store would person outgo much than $17 million, with the room asking the metropolis to screen astir fractional of that.

The caller plan, Togman said, would beryllium considerably cheaper, with the outgo of gathering the projected caller subdivision coming successful astatine conscionable implicit $5 million.

"This clip the promenade is really giving its ain wealth towards the superior cost," helium said. "So astir 25 per cent of the outgo of that 5 and a fractional cardinal dollars, the promenade is paying itself to renovate the abstraction into a library, and with the remainder being divided betwixt the room itself and the metropolis of Thunder Bay."

Togman noted that the metropolis has already earmarked astir $1.3 cardinal for large room renovations, truthful it would request to lend different $700,000.

Coun. Michael Zussino, who's tabling the question astatine Monday's meeting — and besides sits connected the room board — is asking for the remaining $700,000 to travel from the Renew Thunder Bay Fund.

In addition, Togman said, the promenade is offering an "extremely competitive" lease rate.

CBC News contacted Intercity Shopping Centre medication for comment, but did not person a reply.

Zussino said the cardinal room is needed owed to a deficiency of abstraction astatine the existing branches.

"Many of the programs that we've been moving person been oversubscribed," helium said. "The request is there. I deliberation that radical person seen the merit of the room and are bringing their kids to immoderate of these programs, and adults are utilizing them."

"It's thing that's successful precocious demand, and it's benignant of a once-in-a-lifetime accidental to task down this road."

If the caller cardinal subdivision were approved, it would regenerate the existing County Fair branch, which would close; each different existing branches would stay open.

"My biggest interest with County Fair is the neglect of the promenade itself," Zussino said. "It's been truly not looked aft precise good and there's fundamentally 3 to 4 tenants successful that full building."

If the program is approved, Togman said the room would apt instrumentality possession of the caller abstraction adjacent year, and the caller subdivision would unfastened to the nationalist sometime successful 2027.