After years of requests for an entrance upgrade, the Prince George Public Library is again calling on council to add a $2.5 million renovation to the city's capital plan.
The report before council Monday lays out the look and line items for the revamp of the downtown branch which sees up to 900 people every day.
Accessibility remains a key challenge for the downtown Bob Harkin's branch, said an executive summary. The new design calls for "one main well-defined entrance" where no one can bypass security and a new full-sized elevator from both the parking lot and street levels that fits larger mobility devices and equipment.
It also recommends more disability parking and a better ramp from the plaza to parking. It also focuses on the staircase, which the report said is often closed because of snow and ice. A wider, well-lit, enclosed option should address the problem.
Since the very beginning when it was built in 1981, the library has "faced challenges" with both the main entrance stairway and connection to the underground parking lot. That original building was supposed to be part of a raised courtyard, which was never built.
Flip through the below timeline of the library's longstanding request for renovations:
A similar request has been before - and approved by - council before. In 2013, the city included a $2.5 million entrance project to the 2014 to 2018 capital funded list. The idea was to complete the project before the Canada Winter Games.
Instead, in 2014, council earmarked $200,000 to meet with stakeholders and further study the proposal. In August 2015 a $3.9 million option was put forward. After working with an architect, staff presented it to council in February with a projected budget just under $2.5 million.
In a letter to council Carolynne Burkholder-James, chair of the library's Board of Trustees, said in a letter they were support the plan, which will "address the core issues of accessibility and security that advise the need for an improved entrance to the downtown branch."
The city has applied again for a $500,000 grant under the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program to help fund the project, but has not yet heard back.
